Playing With Fire
by Iknowyoulovemexoxo
Summary: Two strangers hook up in a club on a night out and then go their separate ways. This is where the story ends for most people but for Paul and Stephanie it is just the beginning of their story.
1. Chapter 1

I don't know why I am starting another new story but I am so I hope you will like it. This is part 1 of the opening to the story, it was too long as a single chapter so I had to split it in two. If there is sufficient interest I will get part two posted next week.

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Having spent most of her summer either packing boxes or unpacking boxes Stephanie was ready to cut loose and maybe meet some new people too so tonight she was going out to a club and was going to forget everything and enjoy herself.

Getting out of the shower she immediately went to her closet and searched through her dresses looking for the right dress for her evening out and smiled when she saw it immediately grabbing it and walking back over to her bed throwing it on top before she pulled some lingerie out of the drawers and began to get dressed.

As the bottom of the dress hit her thighs as she pulled it on she looked at herself in the mirror smiling at what she saw and doing a little twirl, it showed off her legs just enough without it being too short and slutty. If she was going to get out of the house tonight she was going to have cover up a bit further though so she got some leggings out of drawer where she had neatly folded them up and pulled those on so her parents wouldn't pitch a fit and then she would take them off as soon as she had left and was out of sight.

Once her clothes were right she sat down to do her hair and make-up before she went to her closet to find some shoes to match her outfit setting on a pair of ankle boots that had a stud detailing around the top and looked quite sexy.

Giving herself one more once over in the mirror she was satisfied with how she looked so turned and grabbed her bag from the top checking she had money before she put the strap over her shoulder and picked up her phone walking out of the room as she sent her best friend a quick text:

_I'm on my way out for the night but we should catch up tomorrow._

As she reached the bottom of the stairs she slipped her phone into her bag and resisted rolling her eyes seeing her Mom stood there, "where do you think you are going young lady?"

"Out. You dragged me here at a time in my life where stability is key so I am going to go out and see if I can meet some people who actually live here so I know someone and don't spend the entire year alone. I'll be back by one."

Not allowing her Mom to say another word she exited the house slamming the door as she went, she wasn't going to let her parents put a dampener on her evening though, she was going to have fun.

Following the directions his mates had given him Paul groaned when he arrived at a club, he knew he said he was easygoing about where they met up but they knew he wasn't big on clubs so he wasn't sure why they insisted on here. Pushing his way inside the club he immediately grabbed a drink at the bar before he began to look around for them immediately spotting them all at a table not too far from the bar. Setting his beer down he took a seat so he was facing the bar, "a club? Seriously?!"

Laughing they all shook their heads at him, "we just thought it would be good for you to get out and meet some people your own age."

Rolling his eyes he took a sip of his beer, "but yet here I am with you guys who are in a permanent teenage state of mind."

Reaching across the table Shawn pinched Paul's cheek, "aww, we're sorry Paulie . . . we're sorry that you got old so early in your life."

Slapping his friend's hand away he was not impressed, "shut up. Let's just enjoy this night before we all split up and go back to our own lives again."

That was one thing all five of them could agree on so they toasted to that and began talking and catching up.

Chewing on her lip nervously as she stood behind a couple of girls having their ID checked watching as they got then got denied for being under-age she stepped up fully prepared to have to show her ID but all she got was a smile and a wave on into the club. Smiling brightly she nodded at the doorman, "thank you. Have a good evening."

Entering the club she stopped briefly at the edge, it was so full and loud, she had definitely never been anywhere like this in her life but it was a new city, new experiences and she was going to enjoy every single one of them. Walking over to the bar she smiled politely at the bartender, "I'd like a beer please."

Surprised that a beautiful young woman wanted a beer he was taken aback slightly, "beer? Glass or bottle?"

Smiling she nodded her head, "yes beer and bottle please. I find it is the safest drink, there is the less chance of my drink being spiked with a beer bottle."

"Well it is nice to see someone looking out for their own safety. One beer coming up."

Getting her purse out she paid for her drink before she picked up her bottle and turned around leaning against the bar taking in the sight before her.

Ever since she had walked into the club she had caught his eye, he thought for sure she was meeting a friend but most likely a boyfriend judging by how hot she looked but she wasn't looking at her watch at all, she was seemingly happy and content just stood there watching everybody else. Feeling himself drawn to her he excused himself from the table with the excuse of getting another beer and walked up to the bar standing beside her, "I'll take a beer and whatever the beautiful lady is having."

She had spotted him as he walked towards her and she had to try not to check him out as she wasn't here for that. When he stood beside her she paid no attention to him because he wasn't the first to do that and he wouldn't be the last but when she heard him say 'and whatever the beautiful lady is having' she turned her head to look at him briefly wondering if he meant her but quickly dismissed that thought as he wouldn't think somebody like her was beautiful and looked back towards the dance floor wondering how long it would take her to pluck up the courage to go out and dance.

He felt her eyes on him briefly but when she didn't say anything he turned his head towards her, "I was talking about you you know." Using this as an opportunity to shamelessly check her out he continued, "the lady with brown hair and wearing a black dress that shows off her legs and all of her curves topped off with some sexy boots with stud detailing."

Blushing she turned to the side to face him, "were you checking me out?"

There wasn't a chance for Paul to answer as the barman cleared his throat, "do you want a drink or what?"

Biting down on her lip she smiled coyly, "I don't accept drinks from strangers."

Turning to his side to face her he smirked, "my name is Paul, I am twenty four and I am a teacher. There, now you know stuff about me so I am not a stranger. Would you like a drink now?"

Giggling she blushed a little more nodding her head, "I will have the same again please."

Lifting his hand he brushed a stray lock of hair behind her ear, "so can I get your name now or would you prefer to go by 'beautiful lady' all night long?"

"Well as nice as being called 'beautiful lady' would be I think that as you were kind enough to buy me a drink you deserve to know that my name is Stephanie."

As her drink was set on the bar she immediately picked it up and put her thumb over the top covering it so nothing could be slipped into the bottle.

Initially he had thought she was twenty one but watching her with her drink he thought she had to be a lot older but just looked incredibly young, "it's rude for a gentleman to ask a lady her age so I won't do that but I would like to say I admire how smart you are when it comes to your drinks."

Blushing she shrugged her shoulders, "I have a kind of much older brother, he's really protective of me and sat me down as soon as I hit the age to be going to teenage parties and really explained to me that I should watch my drinks, I should never put them down and if I do and I leave it I should never pick it back up again, it is better to lose it than for my family to lose me. What he said is why I drink beer somewhere like this, it's so crowded but I can completely cover the top so nobody can do anything to my drink."

"Your brother is pretty smart. I think personal safety should be taught in schools but that's the teacher in me."

Moving a small step closer to him she smiled, "so what made you want to buy me a drink? So many other people have stood beside me buying their own drink and haven't paid me any attention, not that I was looking for it though."

Turning around so he was facing the club he rested his elbows on the bar, "it's stupid, you don't want to hear it."

Taking a chance she slipped her arm between his arm and his body and linked her fingers with his, "I wouldn't have asked if I didn't want to hear it."

He liked that she was flirting back with him and taking chances so he gripped her hand that was in his, "you were warned. I saw you walk into the club and I couldn't keep my eyes off of you but I thought a beautiful woman like yourself would have a boyfriend so I thought you were waiting for him or friends but when you didn't seem bothered by the time and weren't looking towards the door I reasoned that you must be alone. It's been a while since I've been to a club but I thought I would take a chance and come and talk to you and I am glad I did."

Moving her lips to his ear she whispered, "I'm glad you did too." Pressing a kiss to his cheek she leant back where she was and took a swig of her beer.

If she was going to play things like that then he was going to up the stakes too and turned to the side facing her keeping hold of her hand using his other hand to turn her head towards him, as soon as she was looking at him he leant closer and kissed her passionately.

Feeling his lips on her was an out of the world experience, all of the boys she had kissed up until this point didn't come anywhere close to matching this kiss. Returning the kiss she cursed the fact that she had a drink in her hand so couldn't use it to hold onto him but she did pull the hand that she was holding behind her back as a hint as she let go of his hand and then slid it behind his neck holding him close as she returned the kiss with equal passion.

Losing breath he reluctantly pulled back a little from the kiss smiling when he heard a little moan of protest escape her lips, "hmm, you taste so good and you are an amazing kisser."

Blushing she couldn't help but bury her face in his neck in embarrassment taking the opportunity to inhale his sweet smelling cologne.

Tickling her lower back with his fingers he smiled, "don't be embarrassed, it's a very good thing to be complimented on how good a kisser you are."

Slowly pulling back from his neck she eventually moved her hand from his neck to holding onto his bicep as she downed half of her drink quickly because she had never been in this position before and she didn't know how to react.

Seeing that she was quite shy and nervous he realised that he was probably coming on too strong for her, "I'm sorry if I'm making you uncomfortable. Shall I leave you alone?"

She didn't even need to think twice about her answer, "no! I like being around you. Can we go and have a dance?"

Nodding his head he smiled at her, she was just too adorable, "we can do whatever you want."

Smiling brightly she put her beer down on the bar and grabbed both of his hands and dragged him onto the dance floor.


	2. Chapter 2

Thank you for the great feedback to the first chapter :)

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They started dancing quite shyly together but as the songs passed and Stephanie relaxed around him by just focussing on the music she soon found herself grinding back against him as his hands held her hips burning through her dress.

He was trying to be cool and a nice guy but any red blooded male that had a sexy woman grinding their ass against their crotch would react and he definitely felt himself reacting. As the music switched to a ballad he gently turned her around and pulled her close but not too close to him sliding his arms around her waist holding her as they danced.

It had been fun dancing to fast numbers with him but dancing to a slow number with him was even better. Sliding her arms around his neck she kissed him passionately before she rested her head on his chest as they swayed together, she never knew that being around a guy could feel this good mainly because she had never been with a mature guy before.

As the slow song drew to a close Paul knew it was now or never so used this opportunity to whisper in her ear, "I want you."

Stephanie's head quickly lifted from his chest to look at his face with wide eyes as she didn't know what he meant, "you want me to what?"

Not sure exactly how to word this he decided to try and not be too blunt, "please don't slap me for this but I want to sleep with you. We don't have to, I would just like to."

She had only been with one guy before, she didn't want to be a disappointment to him but she wanted him too, "uh . . . I want you too but I'm not experienced, I don't want to be a let down."

Moving his hand from her back to her face he held her chin gently stroking it with his thumb he couldn't stop himself from kissing her again, "you would never be a disappointment to me. We were all inexperienced at one point or another. If you want to . . . you know, we will have to go to yours as I live an hour away and I'm not entirely sure we will last that long as our kisses are getting more passionate and more intense by the second."

Blushing they now had a problem, "I kind of live nearly an hour away too. I guess it was a nice idea so I will apologise for any problems I have caused you."

"I don't suppose you're a doing it in an alley kind of girl are you?" He ended that question with a cheeky smile and another kiss to the lips even though he knew he shouldn't with the predicament they found themselves in currently.

She had never thought about it but if it was their only option she would actually be willing to try it.

Seeing her clearly thinking about it he kissed her again to bring her out of her thoughts before he pulled back from the kiss and leant his forehead on hers, "I was kidding, you're classier than that. I'll be okay though, I would like to talk to you some more though even if this isn't going anywhere tonight."

Chewing on her lip nervously she couldn't believe she was about to suggest this, "I've never done it in a bathroom."

His eyes widened and he pulled her to the edge of the dance floor, "seriously don't suggest stuff just because you want to make me happy, it's not a big deal if we don't have sex,"

It was a new city, a new life and new adventures so shyly looking around she pressed herself against him sliding her hand between them and cupping him through his trousers, "I'm not suggesting something to make you happy."

Sliding his arms around her he wasn't sure about her so he kept one hand on her waist and slid his other hand beneath the back of her skirt trailing it gently up the back of her thigh watching her face for a reaction.

Her eyes closed as she felt his hand on her skin, it felt like he was burning her alive but the more he touched her the more she wanted him. So lost in the touch of his hand and the desire for him pooling in her stomach when he touched the bottom of her ass she hissed, "so close, so far away."

Trailing kisses from the side of her mouth to her ear as he continued touching her ass with his one hand he whispered into her ear huskily, "where would you prefer me to touch you?"

Resisting the urge to squeeze his cock as he drove her crazy she barely whimpered out, "my pussy, so bad."

Moving his hand from the back of her skirt he didn't care at this point that they were in the middle of a club as he slipped his hand up the front of her skirt gently touching her through her panties turned on further by how wet they felt, "is this better?"

Nodding her head she rested her head on his shoulder, "so much better. Fuck, I have never wanted someone so much in my life."

Removing his hand from her skirt he moved his hand and cupped her cheek, "I want you so badly too, as you can feel. I will go to the bathroom and then if you really want to go through with it follow me in about five minutes and I will keep an eye out for you. If you don't follow then I won't hold it against you okay?"

Nodding her head there was no question in her mind about what she would do.

Smiling when she nodded her head he pressed a passionate kiss to her lips before he slowly pulled away and made his way to the bathroom.

Moaning lowly as he pulled away from the kiss she watched him walk away before she walked to the bar and ordered a shot of tequila. She needed some liquid courage before she did because no matter how much she wanted him she had never done this before and wanted to be completely free of her inhibitions.

Walking into the bathroom Paul immediately grabbed some money from his wallet and bought a condom out of the machine on the wall and anxiously watched the time desperate to know what she was going to do.

She knew it hadn't been five minutes but she couldn't wait any longer and made her way towards the bathrooms not even sure where he was going to be.

As a guy exited the bathroom Paul saw Stephanie stood outside so quickly opened the door again and grabbed her arm pulling her into the bathroom and pressed a searing kiss to her lips.

Squealing softly as he pulled her into the bathroom she watched him pull away from her with a clearly anxious expression on her face and she really didn't want to ruin the moment with him. She quickly turned and flipped the lock on the door before she turned to face him reaching behind her and sliding down the zipper on her dress before she grabbed the straps on her shoulders and pulled it down let it pool around her feet.

He was going to question whether she still wanted it but as he watched her take her dress off her he knew she did. Stepping closer to her he lifted his hand with the condom between his fingers, "I'm ready."

Taking the condom from his hand she played with the packet giggling as he easily picked her up off the ground and moved her before he bent down and picked her dress up hanging it over the cubicle before he silently turned back to her backing her against the wall and kissing her as his hands went to her waist holding her there.

Sliding her arms around his neck as he kissed her she enjoyed this moment but soon she needed more and her hands moved between them undoing the buttons on his shirt sliding her hands inside to touch his chest moaning when she felt the muscles.

As she moaned at the touch of his chest he moaned at the touch of her hands and he slipped his tongue into her mouth moving his own hands up to cup her breasts playing with her nipples between his fingers enjoying the way her body was reacting to his touch but he just couldn't wait so he slid his hands down to the waistband of her panties playing with it before he eventually removed them.

Feeling his hands at her panties increased the sense of urgency so as they broke the kiss for air her hands frantically began working on his pants getting frustrated when she couldn't get the button undone.

Moving his hands from her panties to his pants he quickly undid the button allowing her to undo the zip and they quickly fell to the floor followed by his boxers and her hand was soon on his hard length gently stroking it.

Groaning at the touch of her hand he quickly pulled her hand away from him and pulled her panties down removing them from her feet before he stood back up, "got the condom?"

Nodding her head she handed it to him watching as he ripped it open and easily rolling it down his length. Breathing heavily she knew this was it, she was nervous and excited but most of all she needed it more than anything. As he stepped closer to her again she blew out a slow breath before she wrapped her arms around his neck pulling him close to her, "I need you so badly, please don't make me wait any longer."

He heard her request and he wasn't about to deny it so he gently held her by the hips and lifted her into the air pinning her against the wall as he got himself situated between her legs, "are you sure? Once you say yes I am going to enter you as I need you so badly."

Playing with his hair in the ponytail she nodded her head, "so ready Paul, please."

Taking hold of his length being careful to hold her tightly he slid it into place gently thrusting his hips forward a little sliding it between her lips.

Closing her eyes as she felt him enter her she moaned, "more, give it all to me."

She was only tiny and he didn't want to hurt her so he slowly pushed the rest of his hard length inside of her resting his head on her shoulder as he did so, "fuck you are tight."

Breathing heavily as her body got used to the invasion he was bigger than she had ever had and it was a different angle but it felt so good, "mmm, so big."

Smiling against her neck he gently kissed the skin there sucking softly when he found her sweet spot as he waited for her to relax a little and as soon as she did he began to move his hips thrusting in and out of her.

The feel of his hard cock moving in and out of her was driving her crazy, her head fell back against the wall as she tightly gripped hold of him trying to move her hips against him to get him to go harder and deeper.

When her head fell backwards she pushed her chest out and he eagerly moved his kisses to her breasts alternating between kissing, licking and sucking on her nipples, he wasn't going to last much longer but he desperately needed all of her that he could get.

Feeling her orgasm approaching the movement of her hips became more erratic as she tried to get more of him inside of her and she moved her head to nuzzle his neck kissing and licking the skin there, "so close, give me everything."

Stopping his movements completely he lifted her chin with his hand to look into her eyes, "you can't handle everything."

Her eyes were locked on his and her gaze didn't waiver, "I don't care, give it all to me."

Shrugging his shoulders he held her hips tightly before he focussed his energy on giving her everything as he needed to cum so badly.

On the brink of her orgasm she clawed at his back whispering, "touch me."

Burying his face in the crook of her neck he was struggling to keep control so quickly slid his hand between them seeking out her clit rubbing it roughly a few times until she came which was punctuated by a scream which he quickly silenced with a kiss as he released into the condom with a groan as their hips came to a stop.

Remaining locked together briefly he eventually pulled out of her and placed her back on the floor before he disposed of the condom and began getting dressed again as he didn't want them to get caught.

Her legs were incredibly wobbly after her orgasm, she was having to use the sink to keep herself upright but as she watched him silently getting dressed she realised he had got what he wanted from her and now he was going to be leaving so she forced herself to pick up her panties from where he had thrown them and pull them on before she took her dress down from where he had hung it and pulled it on.

As soon as she was dressed she walked to the door not knowing the proper etiquette in these situations but not wanting to make things awkward, "thank you for tonight, I had an amazing time." Making sure that he was dressed she quickly unlocked the door walking out to be greeted by some guy needing to use the bathroom, "sorry, my boyfriend had thrown up all over the place and I had to clean it up."

Putting her head down she hurried out of the club not in the mood to hang around any longer.

Watching her leave he wondered what the rush was but maybe it was a good thing that she was in a rush as it saved what was clearly a one night stand to her from getting awkward. He didn't really have a chance to dwell on it now though as he had to get back to his friends.


	3. Chapter 3

Walking back out into the main part of the club Paul made his way back to his friends and took a seat at the table, "so what did I miss?"

The conversations stopped and Kevin smirked, "more like what did we miss? Where the hell have you been for the last like half an hour?"

Shrugging his shoulders he tried to play it off, "I was just talking to someone."

"Talking or _talking_?"

Laughing he rolled his eyes, "you lot haven't changed at all, you are still a bunch of old women who like their gossip. For your information we talked and then we kissed and then we did some more intimate talking."

There were a few slaps on the back to go along with the laughter around the table, "it looks like 'the hunter' is back in business. I thought you had lost the ability to set your sights on someone you want and then to go in for the kill but apparently not, you've still got it. Did you get her number? Will you see her again?"

Shaking his head he really didn't want to think about that, "we agreed it was just a bit of fun to scratch an itch we both had and that was that. Enough about me though, can we just get back to your conversation please."

The conversation returned to what it had been previously and Paul forgot all about Stephanie and enjoyed the rest of his night.

Arriving home from the club Stephanie should have been surprised that the house was dead and there appeared to be nobody home but she wasn't at all, her parent's were doing anything lately for the new business and she never got told anything but she really didn't care anyway as she was still bitter about the move. Walking up to her room she quickly changed into her night clothes before she collapsed into bed and closed her eyes to go to sleep.

The next morning Stephanie woke up with a smile on her face, she could feel the effects of last night throughout her body and it was definitely not a feeling she hated. The morning after the night before feeling was kicking in though only her regret about the night before was not putting herself out there and getting his number as she would definitely like to have had the opportunity to repeat last night over and over again.

Rolling over she picked her phone up from the top and smiled seeing a text from her best friend:

_I hope there are some sexy men in that city to make up for them taking you away from me._

Getting out of bed she decided to send her a quick reply before she jumped in the shower:

_Oh yeah, some of the men are seriously sexy here, especially the one I got up close and personal with last night._

Throwing her phone onto the bed she went to jump into the shower and freshen up before she faced her parents as she didn't want to give any indication of what she had been up to the night before. Once she was showered she threw on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt and brushed her hair before she made her way downstairs laughing at the text she had just received from Kayleigh as she did so.

Entering the kitchen she noticed for the first time that the house was perfectly and as she walked over to the table she saw a note and rolled her eyes knowing what it was going to say before she even read it but she read it anyway.

_Steph,_

_We've gone to the office to put the final touches to things before tomorrow. Feel free to come and join us otherwise we should be home later this afternoon or maybe this evening, just don't get in any trouble._

_Mom and Dad xx_

Balling the note up in her hand she tossed it in the trash before she went to the fridge to find something for breakfast. Her brother Shane was spending his summer off from College having fun and adventures with his friends anywhere in the world he wanted to be and she had been stuck dealing with the move and was now without any friends in an entirely new state and was starting a new school tomorrow.

Pushing the thoughts of her family from her mind she focussed on food and texting Kayleigh about the night before but then she needed to hear a familiar voice so rang Kayleigh to waste away time.

He had gotten in at three am so didn't roll out of bed until lunchtime and when he did eventually roll out of bed he was really glad he hadn't drunk a lot last night because right now he had to finish his lesson plan before school started tomorrow. Walking into the kitchen he made himself a pile of food to last him the entire day before he made his way to the table and took a seat and picked up a pen started flipping through his notebook. Focussing on his lesson plans was a lot harder than it should have been because his mind kept drifting back to the night before and he kept mentally chastising himself for not getting her number because he really wished he could see her again.

When his alarm went off at half past five Paul quickly slammed his fist on it to stop the beeping before he went to shower, he was so glad he taught gym and got to wear track pants and a t-shirt and didn't have to dress up in a suit as they were not his thing at all.

After he had showered, dressed and eaten breakfast he went through his bag making sure he had a change of clothes, some nutritional snacks and most importantly his lessons plans before he headed out the door. He knew who his first lesson was with and he had to admit that he wasn't entirely sure it would be the best start to the year but he was willing to give them a chance.

Six am on Monday morning came way too soon for Stephanie, as she crawled out of bed she padded into the bathroom wishing she was back in Florida with her actual friends in a school she knew rather than facing a brand new school and strangers who will have already formed friendships and cliques and none of which she would probably be welcome in.

Getting dressed in a pair of skinny jeans and a baby tee she wasn't sure what exactly the dress code for the school was or how everybody else would be dressed so she was going to keep it low key and hope for the best. Slipping on a pair of sneakers she made sure she had everything she could possibly need for whatever lessons she had before she picked up her cell phone from the side where it had been charging and slipped it into her pocket as she headed downstairs.

Dumping her bag at the bottom of the stairs she walked into the kitchen half expecting there to be a note saying that her parents had already left but much to her surprise they were still there, "morning."

Placing a plate on the table Linda smiled at her daughter, "good morning. Sit down and eat your breakfast please."

Looking at her parents suspiciously as she sat down there was something going on, "what's going on?"

Vince stood up putting his plate in the sink, "well you see we can't actually take you to school today to meet with your Principal with you because we have to go to the office, you will have to give him our apologies."

Rolling here eyes she pushed her plate away suddenly not feeling very hungry and got up from the table, "thanks for nothing. It's always nice to know how supportive of me you are."

Storming out of the kitchen she picked up her bag and her keys before she exited the house slamming the front door hard behind her as she left.

Vince looked at his wife with a small smile no his face, "well that went well."

Picking up the plate of uneaten food from the table Linda threw it in the trash, "it went a lot better than I expected it to, she is really growing up and maturing into a wonderful young woman. We need to get going though, we should have already left."

"Yes dear, I know. I just need to grab my briefcase and those papers from the study and we can leave."

Linda finished tidying up the kitchen whilst Vince went to get his briefcase.

Stephanie knew she would be really early if she went straight to school now so she just walked around a little exploring the area. She was so glad she had printed herself off a map on how to get home from school so she knew how to get there but she was also able to mark on that map where certain things were as she explored.

Arriving at school she slowly made her way through the gates to find the entrance. Walking towards what was labelled as 'Reception' she felt even more alone as she looked at all of the people around her paired up or in groups looking so friendly and together and she was just alone but hopefully after today she would know **somebody** so she didn't have to spend the entire year alone.

Fifteen minutes after entering the school she found herself sat in the Principal's office, she didn't really get why she had to meet with him or her or whoever it was but it was what was on the letter so this is where she was.

Fiddling with her bag she jumped when the door was pushed open behind her and an older gentleman walked in, "Miss McMahon?"

Twisting in her seat just to watch him she took in his appearance trying to guess his age from his appearance, "that's me."

Sitting down he looked at her expectantly, "are your parents joining us?"

Sighing heavily she slumped in her seat, "no. The office is opening today and they felt it was more important to be there than to be here and the only other responsible adult in my life is currently in Mexico so it's just me. If you want to see my parents you will probably have to make an appointment, like I will."

Sensing the bitterness he knew when not to push a subject, "it's not a problem Miss McMahon, I just thought it would have been nice to meet with your parents aswell but I am more than happy just to meet with yourself. My name is Principal Richards and I like to introduce myself to new student transfers, especially ones who join so late in their school life. My door is always open and if my students have any problems, school or personal, I like them to know that I am here for them. If it doesn't sound too creepy I like to see myself as a second Father to them all or a favourite Uncle, whatever suits you better."

Laughing she smiled, "I like that. My last Principal was so far removed from the students that they wouldn't have been able to pick him out in a line up. I'm not in any trouble before I begin am I?"

Shaking his head he smiled brightly, "no no, of course not. I must say I looked at your record and I am impressed with your work, you have a mostly always 4.0 GPA and you seem to be a model student." Taking a piece of paper out from the file he slid it across the desk to her, "this is your schedule for the year, unfortunately you will find you have gym first period but Mr Levesque the gym teacher is very nice and I am sure he will make you feel welcome. If you have no questions you can be getting on your way to class as it has just begun."

Picking the schedule up from the desk she scanned over it, "you've got to love gym first thing on a Monday morning. My only question would be where do I find the gym please?"

Getting up from his seat at his desk he walked around it and opened the door for her, "take a left until you get to the end of the corridor and then go out through the double doors and go to the right and you shouldn't be able to miss it. Good luck and if there are any problems you know where I am."

Smiling and nodding her head she adjusted her bag on her shoulder as she followed his directions to get this over with.

Paul groaned when he heard all of the girls mumbling their unhappiness at having gym first thing on Monday morning. Walking out of his office he leant on the wall, "girls girls girls. I am not exactly thrilled at having to listen to your bitching to begin my Monday **and** my school year so how about your stop the talking and get to changing so we can all get this over with."

Relieved when they went to change he went to get the equipment out whilst he waited for them to change and join him.

As soon as everybody was stood in front of him he decided to start the year with an explanation, "you know how this whole thing plays out so I don't need to explain to you what I expect of you other than to say no talking is still my number one rule. This year we are going to start off with a bit of basketball so no elbows, no kicking and no throwing the ball at anybody's face or you will be transferred to the boys group, just saying."

Walking the short distance to the gym avoiding the catcalls from the boys she pulled open the door to the gym and stepped inside the gym chewing on her bottom lip nervously when she saw all of the girls turn to stare at her.

Hearing the door open behind him he figured it was the boys teacher looking for something so ignored it but when the girls all focussed their attention to whoever had walked in the door he realised it wasn't the teacher. As he turned around to look at them he said, "what can I do for . . ." Trailing off when he came face to face with the woman from Saturday night he had no idea what was going on so finished his thought, " . . . you?"

As the teacher turned around to face her she was sure she wasn't able to mask the shock on her face when she saw who it was, what exactly were the chances of her one night stand from the club being her gym teacher? Realising he had asked a question and she hadn't answered she just stuttered, "Mr . . uh . . . Levesque?"

Nodding his head he still couldn't work out what was going on, "yes. And you are? I am trying to teach a lesson here so is it important?"

Motioning awkwardly towards the door she said, "umm sorry I am late but Principal Richards kept me talking in his office as he gave me my schedule."

His eyes widened so far he was sure they were going to fall out of his head, "you're a student here?"

Nodding she needed this torture to be over, "yes, I just transferred here."

Blinking a few times he absently said, "go and change and join us. Stick around afterwards so I can explain everything you have missed to you but for now I need you to change and join us and hurry up about it please."

Desperate to get out of there she quickly turned and blindly headed in the direction of what appeared to be the changing room.

Standing there staring at her as she walked away his life had just gotten a whole lot more complicated.


	4. Chapter 4

She needed some time to wrap her head around the fact that the guy she had slept with at the club was her new gym teacher but the last thing she needed was to get into trouble so she couldn't take that time and had to just quickly change before she headed out into the gym joining up with the group that waved at her.

All of the other girls were curious about who this new girl was and they were also amused at her reaction to seeing the teacher. As soon as she joined them they began questioning her, "you were really shocked to see Mr Levesque weren't you?"

Nodding her head she stretched like they were doing, "well yeah. In my last school it was male teachers taught the boys and female teachers taught the girls in gym so seeing a man teacher is weird. My name is Stephanie by the way."

The girl who had taken the lead smiled, "nice to meet you, I am Annabelle but everyone calls me Belle. Starting last year they trialled something to bring up participation or something and switched the teachers out so the male teaches the girls and the female teaches the boys and we were lucky enough to get a hunk. You'll really like him, he is super cool and friendly and really good to look at."

Seeing the group that Stephanie had joined more interested in talking than stretching Paul walked over to them, "come on girls, I don't have all day to wait for you to get all of the gossip, that is what your breaks and free periods are for. Less talking and more stretching or you will all just have to come back at lunch to do the work you didn't do now."

Watching Stephanie stretch he saw that she was going to do more harm than good so he stepped close to her and gripped her waist, "stop it. If you keep doing it like that you will eventually pull or tear something so let me show you how to do it." Taking a hands on approach with her was just putting an extra bullet in an already loaded gun but he couldn't stand back and allow her to get hurt so he showed her how to do it ignoring the memories that flashed into his mind of the last time he touched her body, "do you see why that is better?"

Trying not to blush at the touch of his hands on her body and how she wished they were alone so he could keep his hands on her she nodded her head, "it feels so much better like that . . . Sir?"

Stepping away from her he chuckled, "I hate Sir, it makes me feel old. Everybody calls me Mr Levesque so please feel free to drop the 's' word and call me that instead."

Moving away from the girls he grabbed a ball and started bouncing it on the floor, "first team to agree on a Captain and positions get to pick which end you start shooting at and if you manage it in less than one minute you get a free three point shot."

Huddling together Stephanie's group quickly agreed on a Captain and positions so Belle raised her arm, "we're done."

Looking at his watch in surprise he couldn't believe it, "you were the slowest group to warm up because you were gossiping but the fastest to decide on a Captain and positions for your players? Well there is a first time for everything. Who is going to take this free shot then?"

Pushing Stephanie forward they thought it would be hilarious to get the new girl to make an idiot of herself with the three point throw attempt, "Stephanie will."

Looking back at her team alarmed she knew she agreed to attack but this was something else, "thanks girls."

Seeing the panic on her face Paul bounced the ball to her, "have you ever played basketball before?"

Shaking her head she held the ball in her arms, "not in a game, I've shot a few hoops as fun but nothing more."

Walking backwards to the semi-circle he motioned everyone forward, "gather around here and let me use Stephanie here to give you all some pointers on the correct way to score a three pointer."

Once everybody was in position he stood behind Stephanie, "the most important thing you need to score a three pointer is confidence, visualise the ball going into the net and you will be surprised how much it does for you. Second of all you need to hold the ball correctly, a little something like this."

Stephanie just stood there unable to move as he seemed to use every opportunity to touch her and she allowed him to manipulate her hands before she felt him directly behind her so she tried to ignore how close he was and just imagine the ball going into the net as she listened to him say she needed to bend her knees and really push off to propel the ball into the net. Bending her knees she focussed and pushed off watching the ball fly through the air and hitting the hoop and going around and around the hoop until it dropped through the net causing her team mates to jump up and down with excitement. Spinning around she came almost face to face with Paul, "thank you."

Smiling he raised his hand to give her a high five, "you're welcome, you did all of the work. Now let's get this game started"

High fiving him she ran off to join her team really happy the way they were treating her now, she hoped it was something to gain her a few friends.

The lesson finished and all of the girls ran off to change whilst Paul put away the equipment he had brought out for the lesson and then waited for Stephanie.

Quickly changing Stephanie properly looked at her schedule trying to figure out when her free periods were today as she needed to speak with Paul at his request.

Belle put her clothes in her bag and then walked over to Stephanie, "what have you got next?"

Tracking her schedule with her finger she frowned, "uh, English with a Mrs Romano?"

"Yes it is Mrs Romano, I have her next too so I can show you where the class is."

Smiling softly she stuffed the rest of her stuff into her bag before she put the strap over her shoulder ready to leave, "I just have to tell Mr Levesque when my free is and see if that's okay for me to come back."

Nodding her head Belle linked her arm through Stephanie's, "come on, we don't want to be late."

Exiting the locker room they headed towards the exit stopping when Mr Levesque called Stephanie. Walking over to him Belle removed her arm from Stephanie's, "I'll wait outside for you."

Smiling at her new friend as she left she turned to look at him nervously, "I swear we were going to stop to talk to you, I wasn't going to skip out. I have a free next period if that's any good for you to explain things?"

Watching as people left he nodded his head in acknowledgement as they waved at him, "the sooner we talk the better."

"Okay sure. I'll be back as soon as this period is over. I've got to go as Belle is showing me where the class is."

Walking out of the gym she linked arms with Belle again as she showed her where to find the English classroom.

English was over and now Stephanie had to go back to the gym to talk to Paul so saying goodbye to Belle and promising to meet up for lunch she headed back to the gym to face him. She was really struggling with the whole him being her teacher thing, she knew she had practically prayed that she would meet him again but this was not what she had in mind.

After finishing his second period Paul sat down in his office to do some paperwork whilst he waited for Stephanie, he wouldn't have imagined that he would have any but sadly he did. When he heard a knock at the door he lifted his head and was relieved to see Stephanie, "come in, shut the door and sit down please."

Walking inside she gulped when he told her to shut the door, she almost felt like she was in trouble, "I'm sorry I was late this morning but the Principal kept me talking."

Shaking his head he motioned to the chair in front of his desk, "you're not in trouble, I just don't want this conversation being overheard."

Frowning she put her bag on the floor before she took a seat chewing on her lip nervously, "why?"

He was going to talk to her about what she had missed in class but when he had seen her in front of him those thoughts immediately left his mind and thoughts from Saturday entered so he knew he had to tackle those first. Setting his pen down he tried to get comfortable in his seat, "because I don't need anybody knowing that I slept with one of my students. Why didn't you tell me you were only seventeen?"

The way he approached it she felt that he regretted their night and it felt like a punch to the gut, "you didn't ask so I didn't divulge it. I'm not going to tell anybody what happened on Saturday night, it is none of their business. Anyway, I wasn't your student when we slept together so what does it matter?"

"They won't care if you were then or just now, I would lose everything."

Getting up from her seat she walked around the desk to beside him, "I'm not going to make you lose everything. Saturday night was the most amazing night and ever since I have beat myself up over the fact that I wasn't brave enough to ask for your number but I had never done that before so didn't know the etiquette."

Turning his seat around to look at her he gulped as she got closer to him, "please go back around the desk."

Standing still she stared at him oddly, "why? What's wrong?"

"Just please go and sit back down around the other side of the desk."

Seeing the panic on his face she was hopeful that she wasn't jumping to the wrong conclusion, "are you afraid of me being close to you?"

Realising that she had an idea he sighed, "pretty much yes. Ever since you walked out of that bathroom on Saturday night I have been wishing that I had stopped you and at least asked for your number. Then you turn up here as my student and I don't know what to think or how to react because all I can think of is how good we were together and how much I want to touch you."

"Then touch me. The door is closed and nobody will see us and trust me, I won't complain because I want you to touch me."

He reached out to touch her but quickly pulled his hand back when his brain kicked in, "I can't. As much as I enjoyed Saturday and would absolutely love to repeat it I can't. I am your teacher now and I have to think about my job and your future and I don't want to destroy your future and make you the girl who was taken advantage of by her teacher for the rest of your life."

Getting on her knees in front of him she grabbed hold of his hands, "you won't be taking advantage of me, this is everything I want. Please?"

Seeing her on her knees in front of him begging made it so hard for him to say no but he had to, "we can't. Stephanie please don't make this difficult."

She knew she wasn't going to change his mind so slowly nodded her head, "I guess if that is your final word on it there is not going to be anything I can do to change your mind."

"It is, it has to be." Taking a deep breath he decided to move things back to school, "this morning when you were with the Principal you missed me telling the girls what is planned for the year and that I expect you to all play clean and fair and if you don't play clean then I will have you swapped to have your lessons with the boys. That is about all you missed out on."

Nodding her head she got up from her place on the floor, "I understand. I will be good and I promise I won't tell anybody about Saturday. I'd better go and let you go back to your work."

As he watched her get up from the floor and walk back to her back on the other side of the desk preparing to leave he couldn't help himself and got up from his seat at his desk, "hang on."

Stopping where she was with her bag hanging from her hand she turned around to face him, "what did you forget?"

Not uttering a single word as he approached her he wrapped his hand behind her neck holding her head there as he crushed his lips against hers, he just needed one more kiss.

Moaning in surprise as he kissed her she quickly dropped her bag and wrapped her arms around his neck eagerly returning the kiss that had come out of nowhere.

Slowly pulling away from the kiss he rested his forehead on hers and whispered, "I'm sorry, I just needed to share one more kiss with you. Now we really really should just keep it to a teacher/student relationship."

Slowly pulling away from him she picked her bag back up, "if we are going to keep things strictly professional then I need to leave. I will see you in the next class Mr Levesque."

Quickly heading for the door she left before she just made a complete fool of herself in front of him.

Watching her as she left he went and collapsed into his chair, what had he just done? He wasn't sure what the more stupid move was, kissing her or telling her that they had to keep it professional. Either way it was done now and he had to live with his decisions.


	5. Chapter 5

Walking out of the gym Stephanie's mind was entirely on her conversation with Paul and what he had said about them not being able to be together and how he had then kissed her, she was so confused. So lost in her own little world she didn't see Belle outside the gym waiting for her until she tapped her on the shoulder and she jumped letting out a little scream in fright.

Belle was bored as everybody was either in class or had left school grounds for whatever reason so she decided to wait outside the gym for Stephanie. She was relieved when she saw her exit as she had loads of time to get to know her better so she called her name and when she didn't answer she raced after her and put her hand on her shoulder immediately feeling guilty when she screamed, "I'm sorry, I called your name but you didn't answer."

Sighing as she turned around she felt like her heart was going to beat out of her chest, "I'm sorry, my mind was otherwise occupied so I wasn't thinking about what was happening around me. So why were you waiting for me? Did I do something wrong?"

"No, you didn't do anything at all. I was alone and I just figured that we could get to know each other better as your meeting with Mr Levesque wouldn't take long. We don't have to hang out if you don't want?"

Shaking her head hanging out with Belle was exactly what she needed right now, "I'd love to get to know you more so let's go and get a drink and play twenty questions."

Laughing she grabbed hold of Stephanie's arm and led her to the cafeteria to get a drink.

Sat on a bench outside with their sodas Belle was curious, "so I need to ask about this meeting with Mr Levesque. What did he say that got you so distracted when you left?"

Not really knowing how to respond without giving anything away she stayed silent for a brief moment and thought of the best way to word it, "he explained about the gym classes being separate and that if the girls got rough he would send them out with the boys and then he was saying that if I had any problems his door was always open and I could talk to him." Okay so half of that was true but she thought it would make sense.

"He offered for you to talk to him if you needed it?"

He didn't but she couldn't back out now, "I think he felt bad because I am a new student starting senior year here and it can all be quite overwhelming especially as I knew nobody before I met you."

Turning to face her Belle felt bad, "you seriously knew nobody?"

Nodding her head it made her sound so pathetic, "I have only lived here about two weeks and most of that time was spent unpacking boxes at home or helping my parents set up their new office so I haven't had time to go out and try and meet people, hell I haven't even had time to go and explore the city."

Shaking her head that just wouldn't do for Belle, "not good enough at all. After school today I will take you out and show you around, unless you have to get back home."

Stephanie laughed, "to an empty house? Definitely not. If you aren't busy I would love to."

Belle smile brightly, "deal. So why don't you tell me some stuff about yourself and I will tell you about me so we can get to know each other better?"

The two of them spend the next half an hour getting to know each other a lot better and swapping numbers. Stephanie genuinely didn't think she would find a friend but she was so glad that she had as this situation with Paul was going to result in her needing one.

As soon as Stephanie had left his office Paul got up and shut his office door before he walked back to his desk and sat down and put his head in his hands, "stupid stupid stupid. You're supposed to be the adult and you act like a horny teenager."

He felt so stupid for what he did just then but he felt stupider for not asking her age on Saturday, he knew she looked young and he should have asked but he couldn't go back and change it so he had to hope that she stuck to her word not to tell anybody about it.

Lifting his head from his desk he had to get back to his work and ignore her, he only had to teach her twice a week and that wouldn't be hard at all, what was the worst that she could do to him for two hours a week?

After the school day ended Stephanie got into Belle's car with her and stared out of the window as she drove her around town pointing out the sights, "I could really use some new clothes so what do you think is the best stores to shop in around here?"

Belle's eyes widened with excitement as clothes were her passion and she planned to become a stylist once she finished school, "I know this fabulous little boutique that would be just perfect for you. Shall I show you it now?"

Shrugging her shoulders now was as good a time as any for her, "now is perfect, let's go."

Taking a side street she eventually reached the boutique and stopped the car outside, "come on, let's go inside and let me show you around. I don't suppose you would let me pick out some clothes for you to try on would you please? I want to be a stylist and I want to get in as much practise as possible."

What was the worst that could happen? She would hate the outfits and politely tell her so and if it went well she might find some clothes she wouldn't have normally looked at, "sure, but only if you promise that you won't get offended if I don't like some of it. I'm quite particular with what I wear as my parents can be quite strict."

Clapping her hands excitedly this was perfect, "yes yes, thank you Stephanie, I promise you won't regret it."

Chuckling Stephanie opened the car door and got out, this should be interesting and she was excited to go shopping getting in some retail therapy to make herself feel better about everything.

Walking into the store Stephanie was immediately excited, this was exactly the kind of stuff she liked and was so excited to get to look around and really make her credit card take a hit.

As soon as she entered the store Belle knew exactly where to go and what she was looking for and immediately picked up a stack of clothes, "I'm ready when you are Steph."

Having picked up some items of her own she walked over to the changing rooms as Belle sorted it into outfits, "I will give you one outfit at a time."

Nodding her head Stephanie just agreed and stepped into the changing room and started trying on the first outfit.

It was the third outfit she had tried on and as she stepped out of the changing room to look at the mirror she saw the way Belle was looking at her, "what?"

"You look amazing, that outfit is absolutely perfect for you even if I do say that myself."

Chewing on her lip nervously she slowly walked to the mirror and when she looked at herself she was amazed at the reflection she saw back at her, "is this really me?"

Walking over to her Belle adjusted the top slightly so it fitted better, "yes it is you. Do you like it?"

Doing a little twirl in front of the mirror she couldn't believe the way that she looked in this outfit, she looked and felt beautiful. She loved the skirt, it was short but not short enough that her parents would throw a fit and the top was just beautiful.

As she looked at herself in the mirror she couldn't help but think about how Paul would react when he saw her in this. She knew that he had told her that nothing could happen between the two of them because he didn't want to lose his job but she wasn't ready or willing to give up on him that easily, she was going to fight for what she wanted.

Turning to look at her new friend she nodded her head, "I am definitely taking this outfit. Let's move on to the next one."

Clapping her hands Belle was so excited that she like the outfit, "I'm so happy right now."

Smiling Stephanie went back into the changing room to switch outfits.

Half an hour later and Stephanie was just finishing paying for her new clothes before she put her card away and picked up the bags, "these are just what my closet needed. Thank you Belle, you will make a fabulous stylist."

Shrugging her shoulders it was good practise and it made her feel good to actually pick out outfits that somebody loved, "my pleasure. I'd better head home before my parents kill me but I will drop you home first if you want?"

Considering she had no idea where she was Stephanie nodded her head, "yes please, I wouldn't know where to go to get home from here."

"You really need to get out and about in a car, as long as you have a license, and just explore the city, you will soon find your way around."

As she dropped her bags in the back seat she said, "I have a license and a car but it is in the garage right now having a service or something but as soon as I get it back I will do that now I am apparently free to do as I please."

Pulling up outside of Stephanie's house Belle whistled lowly, "damn, your parents are loaded."

Shrugging her shoulders money really wasn't a big deal to Stephanie, she just wanted them to give a damn about her, "I guess, it's not a bit deal to me so I really couldn't give a damn about how much money my parents do or don't have. I'll see you in school tomorrow."

Reaching across Belle hugged Stephanie, "yes you will. Hopefully tomorrow you can get properly introduced to the rest of the girls, today has been a bit crazy with it being the first day of school and all but tomorrow we're all having lunch together so I'd love it if you'd join us."

She had no other friends to hang out with so it was a no brainer, "I would love to. See you tomorrow."

Climbing out of the car she grabbed all of her bags from the back seat and headed to the front door waving once more to Belle once it was unlocked before she entered and shut the door behind her.

Making her way up the stairs because she knew she was home alone and would be for at least another hour or maybe more she walked into her bedroom and dropped the shopping bags on the bed before she threw her school bag next to her desk and emptied out her clothes onto the bed to cut off all of the tags, "when you see me in these you will have no chance Paul, you will see exactly what you are missing out on and will come after what you want."

As soon as she had removed all of the tags she put them all in the laundry to be washed before she sat at her desk to do her homework whilst she waited for her parents to come home but before she actually began her homework she sent her very best friend a text:

_I met the guy from Saturday again. I thought he was sexy in the club but he is so much better looking in daylight than he was there._

Smiling to herself as she thought about him she put her phone down on the desk and began working.


	6. Chapter 6

For Stephanie it had been three nights of meals for one in front of the television as her parents hadn't arrived home from work until late in the evening. Quite frankly Stephanie was bored of the meals and of always eating alone but right now she didn't have the inclination to cook something from scratch as she was trying to get into a rhythm with school work.

She had just finished eating and was taking her plate to the kitchen when the front door opened and her parent's walked in, "wow, this is the earliest you have been all week."

"Don't get smart with me young lady, we can always leave again."

Rolling her eyes Stephanie just walked into the kitchen and put her plate in the dishwasher before she walked out again, "I should go and finish my homework."

Watching her daughter as she headed for the stairs she called after her, "hold on a second Stephanie."

Stopping a couple of stairs up she turned to look at her Mom, "what did I do?"

Pulling a note from her purse she held it out to her, "I transferred you to a Dentist up here and they want you to go in for a check up and a cleaning so I have made the appointment for tomorrow morning. You may aswell just go into school after your appointment."

Taking the note from her Mom she shook her head, "thanks for the advanced warning, it's really nice of you."

Frustrated Stephanie just went up to her room and shut the door firmly behind her not believing the nerve of her Mom to make her an appointment and just to force it on her. Looking at the time of the appointment she frowned, if they ran late she may miss gym class with Paul and she lived for those classes now.

The next morning Stephanie got up late and she knew her parents were already gone and she also knew they wouldn't be home until after she was home so it gave her an opportunity to wear something she wanted to wear without getting the third degree from her parents. Showering she washed her hair before she walked into her room wrapped in a towel and went straight for her closet, she had the perfect outfit in mind and Paul was going to love it.

A couple of hours later and Stephanie was rushing across the school grounds to get to the gym before class started, she really didn't want to miss a second of class if she could get away with it. Looking at her watch she should make it just in time.

Pulling open the door she breezed into the gym relieved when she saw that the girls stood in front of her hadn't changed yet, "sorry I'm late."

Turning to face her Belle was so relieved, "oh my God, we were just talking about you. Where have you been?"

Sighing heavily she rolled her eyes, "the Dentist. My Mom sprung the appointment on me last night because that is what parents do apparently."

"Why didn't you text me and tell me? I was going to come by your house at lunch because I was worried about you."

Blushing she completely forgot that she had Belle's number, "oops, I forgot I had your number."

Playfully rolling her eyes she shook her head, "so you're looking hot today, can we get a twirl?"

Giggling Stephanie did a twirl on the spot showing off her short skirt and her tank top that read 'I know you're staring at me', "thank you for the compliment."

Paul had heard the commotion as he set up so moved to the entrance and immediately his eyes were drawn to Stephanie and he couldn't take them off her, she looked amazing and he was really wondering how he was going to survive the year if she looked like this every day. Shaking his head he needed to get it back in the moment, "girls, less chatting and more changing please."

Stephanie jumped at the sound of his voice but quickly followed the rest of the girls into the changing room to get ready for the lesson.

Having changed her outfit she was sat on the bench putting her sneakers on when one of the girls behind her said, "did you see the way Mr Levesque was looking at you?"

A little hurt that he was looking at somebody else so soon after he had told her that they couldn't be anything meant that she clearly wasn't special, "oooh, does he have the hots for you Belle?"

Slightly alarmed at the idea Belle's eyes widened, "what?! No, he wasn't looking at me, he was looking at you. I so think Mr Levesque has the hots for you, he was totally looking you up and down."

Rolling her eyes as she finished tying her shoes up she just couldn't with the crazy theories, he was the one who had said they could be nothing so they had to be imagining it, "yeah sure he was. I highly doubt Mr Levesque would go for a school kid when he could have a grown adult."

"Oh come on Steph, you can't tell us if he didn't offer himself to you you wouldn't take him."

Shaking her head she had promised that she would keep what had happened between them quiet so she wasn't even going to dignify that with an answer, "we need to get a move on before he makes us stay through lunch."

Taking a deep breath she walked out of the changing room and plastered a smile on her face to hopefully cover for the fact that she was starting to doubt herself and his words to her. She knew that she was not going to play all that fair to try and make him see the error of his ways but she honestly didn't expect the truth to be that he didn't mean the words that he said. Sure she should have had a clue when he kissed her but it didn't necessarily have had to mean something but maybe it did?

She hadn't realised that she had just been stood there until Belle tapped her on the shoulder, "we were only teasing, I'm sure he doesn't really have the hots for you, I mean he is a teacher after all."

Silently she walked out of the changing rooms and into the gym almost crashing into Paul as he walked towards the door to hurry them up, "sorry, I wasn't looking where I was going."

Instinctively putting his hands on her arms to steady her as she stopped suddenly he quickly let go of her and stepped back like she was on fire when he saw the girls behind her, "I was just coming to look for you to make sure there wasn't a black hole in the changing rooms that had swallowed you all up."

The girls laughed, "and that is why you are our favourite teacher Mr Levesque."

Pretending to blush and act all coy and shy like a teenage girl did he looked down at the floor, "aww shucks, you make me feel so special." Lifting his head he went back into full teacher mode, "now get in there and start stretching, I want to work on some skills."

Turning around and smirking at her teacher one of the girls said, "I'd like to work on some skills with you too Mr Levesque."

Right now Stephanie was so ashamed to be the same age as these people, she just couldn't believe the immaturity of them as she hung her head.

Paul couldn't help but turn his gaze to Stephanie and as he did he noticed how embarrassed she seemed. He was driving himself crazy by letting his attention be drawn to her all of the time so he did the only thing he could think of doing, "if you can all go the entire lesson without speaking, unless it is a question pertaining to what I am showing you, then I may just let you out early."

Stephanie just put her head down and started stretching, her head was a jumbled mess of thoughts and feelings and none of it was going to get sorted whilst she was here in this class with him.

Having spent the rest of the day either being teased about Mr Levesque having a crush on her or her thoughts simply being plagued by everything about him when it came time for school to end she didn't want to go home alone, she didn't want to hang out with girls her age, she just wanted to be held by the one man she knew would be there for her.

Rushing through the building she made her way to his office bursting through the door not caring if he was with anyone or in a meeting.

As the door burst open he jumped and seeing her practically running into the room he stood up from his seat, "Stephanie?"

Running across the room she ran straight into his arms, "Daddy!"

Hugging his daughter tightly he did wonder what was going on with her lately, these past few days she had been so unpredictable but for now he did the one thing she seemed desperate to have and that was to hold her tightly.

After a couple of minutes she pulled back and blushed, "sorry."

Placing his hands on his daughter's shoulders he held her there, "no need to be sorry. What is going on? Is everything okay? You haven't been yourself for a few days and I am worried about you, I know we haven't been around a lot but it is enough for me to notice"

Shrugging her shoulders she sighed, "I'm fine I guess, it's just really hard to adjust here and I just am struggling to deal with it all. I'm sorry for interrupting your work, I really shouldn't have."

Shaking his head Vince gripped his daughter's chin and made her look at him, "never, and I repeat **never** apologise for coming to me when you need me. No matter what I am **always** here for you, I will put everything aside for you and your brother because you are my children and you are everything to me. I know I haven't been the best Father recently but as soon as things calm down I promise I will be around more. To make it up to you though tonight your Mother and I will be home early and we will eat dinner as a family but we will have your favourite take out rather than cooking. Does this sound good?"

Nodding her head it sounded perfect, she just wanted to spend some time with them, "yes Daddy, it sounds perfect. Can we have Chinese please?"

Chuckling he nodded his head, "I wouldn't expect anything less. Your Mom and I will pick it up on our way home if you're leaving soon or now or we can all pick it up when we leave."

Looking at her watch she decided to go home and talk to her best friend to get things off her mind, "no it's okay Dad, I will let you get back to your work and I will go home and talk to Kayleigh before I do my homework."

Kissing his daughter on the cheek he took a step back, "okay then. We will be home about half past six at the latest."

Smiling softly she hugged her Dad again quickly, "thank you Daddy."

Turning around she headed out of his office to go home.

As soon as his daughter had left his office he sat down and got right back to his work because he had a reason to finish his work and just go home and spend some time with his family.

Arriving home Stephanie threw her bag at the bottom of the stairs before she went and collapsed on the couch and put her feet up calling Kayleigh.

Kayleigh was desperately trying to focus on her homework but everything that wasn't her homework was distracting her so so far she hadn't achieved more than writing a couple of lines. When her cell phone began ringing she couldn't have been more excited, especially when she saw her best friend's name, "hey Steph."

Plastering on a smile she hoped it came through in her voice, "hi Leigh."

Moving away from her desk Kayleigh got up and looked out of her window, "what's wrong? You don't sound right."

Sighing Stephanie didn't know what to say, "truthfully? I'm just having a hard time right now. Sure I have made a few friends in school but . . . it's just not the same without you Leigh Leigh."

She couldn't help but smile a little when she used her nickname as she rarely got to hear it these days but it still concerned her, "cheer up, we will see each other soon. What about this guy you hooked up with? Why don't you try and search him out?"

That was one topic she didn't even know how to discuss with her, "I can't talk about him over the phone."

"Steph? Have you seen him properly since?"

Chewing on her perfectly manicured nails she felt like she was going to throw up, "yes but I can't talk about it on the phone or in an e-mail or a letter or in any form of traceable communication okay?"

Now Kayleigh was nervous, "is he a murderer or something?"

"No but today I really wish he was. My heart is hurting, my head feels like it is about to explode and I feel like I am all alone on an island with no body and no thing for company."

Her best friend was normally so confident and outgoing and for her to be so quiet and withdrawn made Kayleigh concerned for her, "I am always here for you. I know I apparently can't listen to you talk about this guy at the minute but I am here for everything else no matter what the time is. At the end of the day if things are meant to be with this guy then they just will be because either he will make a move on you or maybe you will just have to make a move on him. Promise me you will go and take a bath, relax and try and cheer up now though please? I hate to hear you so sad."

As she listened to her best friend talk she realised she was right, she needed to have a nice hot bath and just relax, everything would be better after she took some time for herself to relax, "you're right, I just need to relax in the bath and everything will be better then."

Smiling brightly Kayleigh was happy to help, "yes you do. You go and have your bath, I will get on with my stupid homework and then we can talk again later okay?"

"Deal. Love you Leigh Leigh, you're the bestest."

Chuckling she moved back to her desk, "so are you. It is what best friends are for though. We'll talk later though, bye."

Stephanie was already off the couch and heading for the stairs, "bye."

Hanging up the phone she made her way to the bathroom and grabbed the bottle of bubbles before she headed back to her bedroom to get her iPod and speakers to just relax.


	7. Chapter 7

It was ten minutes to six and Vince had saved his work and shut everything down and was making his way to his wife's office. Entering his wife's office he pushed the door shut behind him, "save your work and let's go."

Lifting her head Linda looked at her husband strangely, "what? I haven't finished my work and I am sure you haven't either so why do you want to leave?"

Walking over to the desk he took a seat on the chair in front of her, "because our daughter needs us. She came bursting into my office after school this afternoon almost in tears and needing a hug."

Rolling her eyes Linda shook her head putting her pen down briefly so she could focus on her husband, "I can't believe you are falling for the oldest trick in the book, she is just throwing a tantrum to get us to go running. She probably wants money to go shopping with or something."

Frowning he crossed his arms over his chest, "Linda I know our daughter and this isn't some ploy to get money or whatever, she genuinely needs us. I know she is seventeen and she is strong and independent and a pain in the fucking ass sometimes but she is also a senior in high school, has moved to a brand new state where she knows **nobody** and is a teenager with raging hormones. Tonight it is our duty as parents to put our work to one side and spend some time with her."

Her husband wasn't always the most perceptive of people with their kid's feelings so if he was picking up on something then it must be serious, "okay. Give me five minutes to finish this and then we will leave."

Forty five minutes later and they entered the house, "Stephanie!"

She had spent nearly an hour relaxing in the bath before she had got out and put some sweats on and sat down and focussed on her homework. So focussed on her homework she failed to hear her parent's car pull up so when they called her name she jumped banging her knee on the desk, "fuck." Quickly getting up from her desk she grabbed her phone and headed downstairs, "sorry, I was doing my homework."

Vince knew his daughter worked hard but she also tended to need a prod in the right direction to do her homework so for her to be completely immersed in it and not to hear them arrive home was unusual. Giving his wife a pointed look he then turned to his daughter, "that's okay. Why don't you take the food through to the dining room and lay it out whilst your Mom and I grab some plates and cutlery."

Nodding her head she eagerly took the bag from her Dad as she was starving, "thank you Daddy."

Smiling softly he nudged his wife gently towards the kitchen.

Stephanie took the bag of food into the dining room and placed it on the table along with her phone before she began unloading it item by item until it was all laid out on the table.

Entering the dining room with the plates Vince smiled at his daughter, "feeling better now?"

Nodding her head she sat down, "I guess, I'm just struggling right now to settle in."

Linda frowned at her daughter, "are you sure that is all it is? You are normally so confident and self assured and you don't seem confident today. Did anything happen at school?"

'Did anything happen at school?' was such a loaded question for Stephanie, she didn't **want** to feel like this but ever since he had given her those mixed signals on Monday she felt like her head had been getting more messed up by the day and now when her class mates are saying he is checking her out it just feels like her head is about to explode. All she needed was a good talk with somebody to clear her head but she had nobody here to talk it over with.

Vince noticed his daughter had drifted off onto another planet so waved his hand in front of her face, "Stephanie?"

Shaking her head she looked at her Dad, "sorry, I was just trying to work out what homework I had left."

He could see in her eyes that she was lying but wasn't going to tackle her about it, "that's okay but just get some dinner before it goes cold."

The three of them sat down as a family to eat and enjoy some conversation together. As soon as they had all finished Vince stacked the plates together, "do you want to take the cartons out to the kitchen and sort them into what is empty and what has food left please Stephanie?"

Nodding her head she began to gather them all together before she made her way to the kitchen.

As soon as Stephanie had left the room Vince grabbed his daughter's phone and immediately went into her contacts copying one specific number into his phone before he replaced her phone and slid his phone into his pocket to call that person later at which point he took the plates into the kitchen ignoring the glares thrown his way by his wife.

Once she had finished sorting out the food she turned to her Dad, "is it okay if I go upstairs and finish off my homework now?"

Nodding his head it would give him this opportunity to make the call, "of course. If you get done in time maybe we could watch a movie together but until then I will do some work in my office okay? If you need me you know where I am."

Smiling softly she hugged her Dad not sure where her Mom was right now, "I know, thank you Daddy."

Heading for the dining room she grabbed her phone before she went upstairs.

Putting the dishes in the dishwasher Vince then entered his office shutting the door tightly behind him before he took a seat at the desk and called the number he had recently added to his phone.

As he stood outside of the house he wondered why the hell he had agreed to this, he was sure it was going to result in one big headache. Leaning on the wall he rang the doorbell and hoped they didn't answer but as the door opened and he saw Zack he knew he was out of luck, "hi Zack."

Smiling politely he had never been more relieved to see this guy, "oh my God, I am so happy to see you. My wife is driving me crazy, please God do me a favour and keep her occupied for a couple of hours will you?"

He couldn't help but laugh at the other man, "she's not taking too well to being on Doctor ordered maternity leave?"

Groaning as he motioned the other man in he shook his head, "no, far from it. I am making allowances for her that she is missing the human contact but I swear I am ready to scream."

Smiling he patted Zack on the shoulder, "well why don't you take the opportunity after dinner to do something to let off some steam whilst I keep her occupied?"

"Don't you have like lessons to plan or something?"

Shaking his head he saw his best female friend coming his way from the kitchen, "I have no life and planned my lessons for the first semester over the summer."

Diana was so happy to see Paul, "Paul! I thought you were never going to get here."

Zack smirked, "see."

Looking at his watch Paul frowned, "you do know I am about ten minutes early right?"

Slapping his arm gently she shook her head and dragged him towards the kitchen, "come with me, let's talk."

Smiling sympathetically at her husband as she dragged him to the kitchen Paul was questioning his decision to come to dinner.

Leaning on the worktop as she stirred the saucepan he smiled at how different she looked, "pregnancy really suits you."

Rubbing her belly gently she smiled at him, "pregnancy does that to you. How are things with you?"

Skipping over what she had asked him he said, "so Zack says you are driving him insane."

Pouting she acted insulted, "well that is just rude. It's not my fault, pregnancy will do that to a girl."

Shoving his hands in his pocket he smiled, "I haven't been around you so I am okay with you being an annoying pregnant woman."

Tossing the nearest thing to her in his direction she laughed as he ducked the apple, "so tell me something interesting."

Luckily for Paul Zack interrupted so he managed to get away with not answering it until after dinner.

Once they had finished dinner the boys put the dishes away whilst Diana took a seat on the couch but before they had finished with the dishes she was in the kitchen which just annoyed Paul, "for fucks sake Dee, Nurses make the worst fucking patients."

Smiling sheepishly she shrugged, "when you are alone all day every day and can do nothing but rest company is like the best thing to you."

Smiling softly Zack walked over to his wife and kissed her cheek, "whilst Paul is here I am going to run out and do some shopping as we are running low on some essentials. I should be back in about an hour."

Rubbing his cheek gently she smiled softly, "thank you baby, you're the best."

Kissing her on the top of the head he patted Paul on the shoulder as he passed him, "good luck dude."

As soon as Zack had left Paul steered Diana back to lounge, "now sit down and put your feet up, you know what the Doctor has told you about needing your rest."

Sitting down in her designated chair and placing her feet on the foot stool she relaxed cradling her swollen belly gently, "so care to tell me why you keep dodging the question about what's going on with you?"

Getting comfortable on the couch he turned to look at her, "because I don't know what to say to you. We have been friends for like ten years Dee and I don't want one stupid mistake to destroy that."

Raising her eyebrow she shifted in her seat to look at him a little better, "what did you do exactly?"

Deciding to get it over with he just blurted it out, "I technically slept with one of my students."

Her eyes widened, that was definitely not something she expected to hear him say, "how can you 'technically' sleep with somebody? Don't you just sleep with them or not sleep with them? I must admit I am surprised by this, you are one of the smartest people I know and you did have your head screwed on straight so I never imagined that you would do something like that."

"Saturday night I went out with the boys to a club, it was just a night of fun before we all went out separate ways again and I met this gorgeous woman in a club and we got talking and then dancing and . . . let's just say she did some dirty dancing and we both agreed we wanted to go one step further. I was about forty five minutes from home and so was she so we did the deed in the bathroom and then she just kind of walked off before I could ask for her number so I could call her and ask her out on a date. All day Sunday I kicked myself wishing that I had got her phone number . . . and then she turned up in my gym class first thing Monday morning."

Diana's eyes widened and her mouth dropped open, "holy shit. How did you not know her? This is your second year teaching in that school . . . oh my God, please don't tell me she has just joined that school and is only fourteen."

He was waiting for the explosion after he had finished talking and she didn't let him down, "she had just joined the school, she has just moved here from another State but luckily for me she is only seventeen otherwise I would be in the shit."

Rubbing her temples she shook her head, "and this makes it better how?"

"It doesn't make it better but in my defence I had never met her before and she hadn't been a student up until two days later. I have already told her that nothing can happen between us and she has promised to keep it quiet."

"But . . .?" After ten years of friendship she knew when he was keeping details from her or from himself.

Shrugging his shoulders he didn't know what she wanted him to say, "but nothing."

Crossing her arms as best she could over her stomach she was not impressed, "and this is the point where you stop lying to me and to yourself. You didn't let all of that out for a reason that was simply getting it off your conscience."

Looking at her incredulously he couldn't believe she said that, "you're crazy Dee, pregnancy is messing with your head. You're the one that asked what was going on so I told you." As she stared at him he found himself unable to lie any longer, "okay fine. She is beautiful and smart and I fell for her before I knew her age, before she was my student and now I'm in so fucking deep when I have to teach her twice a week and she looks like she does. I am trying so hard to resist her but when I look at her and think about what we had it kind of gets a bit hard."

She wanted to tell him that everything would be okay and he could pursue her but it would all be lies and she wouldn't do that to her oldest friend, "do you want me to tell you the truth or tell you what you want to hear?"

"Truth, absolutely the truth." Deep down he figured that was why he was bringing this all up with her, because he wanted her to give him a dose of the truth.

Rubbing her stomach where the baby was kicking her she did just as he asked, "you need to get her out of your head, you need to forget her. The bottom line is right now you are her teacher, whether you were when you slept together or not is not the point, you are now so anything that happens from here on out is asking for a jail term as she is a minor. If she hits on you then you need to knock her back and be strong and tell her that it just cannot happen between the two of you, you value your freedom too much. If you could find yourself a woman around your age to date then all the better."

Deep down he knew that that was what he had to do, hearing it from somebody else who was mostly independent just reaffirmed in his mind that he had done the right thing by telling her they couldn't go anywhere together, now he just needed to stop checking her out. Deciding that he didn't want to talk about her any longer he changed the subject, "so am I going to be the Godfather?"


	8. Chapter 8

Kayleigh was sat at her computer scrolling through all of the pictures just reminiscing about her times with Stephanie, she couldn't wait until the holidays so she could visit her or Stephanie could come down to visit.

She was just thinking about being productive and doing some more homework when her cell phone began to ring. Snatching it off the desk she was hoping it was Stephanie but as she looked at the screen she didn't recognise the number but answered it anyway, "hello?"

"Good evening Kayleigh, it is Mr McMahon speaking."

She immediately began panicking, "Mr McMahon? What's wrong? Is Stephanie okay?"

Chuckling Vince liked hearing how concerned his daughter's best friend was about her, "everything is fine, Stephanie is fine. I am ringing because I wondered if you would like to come and visit this weekend?"

Her initial reaction was excitement but then reality kicked in, "I would love to Mr McMahon but I just can't afford the ticket to get there, thank you for the offer though."

"I wasn't asking you to pay for the ticket here, I was asking you if you would like to come and visit Stephanie for the weekend."

She didn't know why it really mattered because she still wouldn't be able to go as desire didn't magic money into her bank account, "I would love to visit her for the weekend, it doesn't mean I can afford it though."

He smiled as this was so perfect, "okay good. I will arrange the flight details and call you back in a little bit. Remember though, this is a secret from Stephanie."

Confused she didn't even have time to ask him what he meant before he had hung up on her, "gee, thanks for that Mr McMahon."

Sighing she reluctantly put her phone back on her desk and shut the photographs down from her computer to do some homework.

As soon as he had hung up with Kayleigh Vince began making some phone calls setting up her flight for the very next afternoon. Once all details were in place he rang her back.

It had been about an hour since she had spoken with Stephanie's Dad and the conversation was really bothering her but she had to believe that he had listened to the words that she had spoken otherwise she would be in so much trouble. When her phone began to ring again and she saw the same number as before she was intrigued by how this would go, "hello again Mr McMahon."

Smiling he was hoping she would be excited, "hello again Kayleigh. I have spoken to a few people and your flight is arranged for 4:15 tomorrow afternoon from the local airfield. Are you aware of where that is?"

"I . . . uh . . . yes sir. Why is the flight at the airfield? I can't afford the ticket though Sir, I did tell you."

Realising he would have to be blunt with her he sighed, "you don't need to afford the ticket because I am paying it. The reason the flight is from the airfield is because it is a private jet. I will have Stephanie meet you at this end but she will not know it is you she has to pick up so don't breathe a word to her that you are coming please, she needs this surprise this week. Tell your parents that I will have you flown home on Sunday evening and I look forward to seeing you tomorrow Kayleigh."

She was still confused about why he was paying for her to fly up on a private jet but she wasn't going to complain, "yes Sir, thank you Sir. I can't wait to see her tomorrow."

Hearing his daughter call out to say that she was ready to watch a movie he needed to end this call, "I must get going as Stephanie is calling for me but I will see you tomorrow. Goodbye."

Once again before she could reply he had hung up the phone, "ugh, that man sure knows how to irritate me."

Kayleigh had no time to focus on how much Stephanie's Dad irritated her as she had a bag to pack and homework to finish.

Ending the call Vince got up from his seat at his desk and made his way out of the study to go and watch a movie with his daughter.

Friday morning, Stephanie should have been so happy that the weekend was upon her but instead she was actually wishing that she could spend it in school because at least then she would be busy and wouldn't have to dwell on the fact that she knew nobody and would be spending it alone with nothing to do but think of Paul. Reluctantly she rolled out of bed and took a shower before she got dressed and went downstairs to get some breakfast.

Entering the kitchen she groaned when she saw a note on the table but picked it up to read even though she was sure it would just tell her that her parents wouldn't be home before dinner.

_Dear Steph,_

_You know we don't normally ask you to get involved in the business but today we need you to. _

_Your Mom and I are both tied up in meetings all afternoon but we have a client flying in who is insisting that somebody meets them at the airport so we were hoping you would do that for us._

_Their flight lands at 6 tonight, directions are with your car keys. All you need to do is meet them and give them a ride._

_We would be really grateful if you could do this one thing for us please._

_Lots of love,_

_Mom and Dad_

She would normally be really annoyed that they were asking her to get involved and ruining her Friday night but truthfully she had nothing better to do so it really didn't matter, she just hoped they weren't expecting her to dress up for them because she was definitely not doing that.

After an uneventful day at school she found herself stood waiting for this . . . person to arrive, she couldn't believe her Dad hadn't even given her their name but she figured that there could only be one person travelling on a private jet. Shuffling her feet nervously as she heard people talking about the plane arriving she hoped it wasn't some creepy old man.

It had been her first experience in a private jet and Kayleigh had to admit that it was a really nice experience, from the room to the snacks to the peace and quiet she could get used to travelling like that but she was most excited about the fact that at the end she got to see her best friend.

Exiting the plane she grabbed her suitcase before she made her way inside the small building immediately setting her eyes on Stephanie, "Stephanie!"

Hearing her name being called Stephanie spun around and was shocked to see her best friend, "Kayleigh? What are you doing here?"

Hurrying over to her she dropped her suitcase on the floor and threw her arms around her so happy to see her, "your Dad called me last night and invited me up for the weekend and I wasn't about to say no to a free trip to see my best friend who I have missed terribly."

Holding her friend tightly she couldn't be more relieved than she was right now, "you have no idea how much I need this right now."

Pulling back from the hug she looked at her friend worriedly, "yeah I got that feeling. Is everything okay?"

Biting down on her lip to try and contain her emotions she shook her head, "not really no."

Picking up her suitcase she grabbed her friend's arm, "you and I are going to your house and we will talk about it over a bucket of ice cream."

Sighing as she led her friend to the door she wish she could, "we can't talk about it until we are home alone."

Smiling politely at the lady that held the door open for them she followed Stephanie as she led her towards the car, "is this about this Paul guy from last weekend?"

Even hearing his name hurt her heart right now, "yes."

"We will find a way that we can talk about it, you can't keep it bottled up so we will find ourselves a nice quiet place where it is just the two of us and you can just get it off your chest. For now though you are going to take me to your house and give me the guided tour."

Popping the trunk on the car Stephanie couldn't wait to go home now, this weekend was definitely picking up.

Arriving home Stephanie was surprised to see her parent's car there, "well this is a surprise. My parent's told me they were working late tonight."

Kayleigh shrugged, "well clearly I am that awesome that they just had to greet me."

Shutting off the engine she looked at her friend like she was crazy, "whatever you say. Come on, let's go and see what they're going to drop on me with no warning as that is what they do best."

Smiling at her friend sympathetically she grabbed her bag and followed her inside.

Pushing the front door open Stephanie immediately rolled her eyes seeing a bag at the bottom of the stairs, "we're home."

Vince walked down the stairs and smiled at his daughter and her friend, "good evening you two. I was thinking we could have take-out for dinner."

Rolling her eyes she tossed her keys onto the table, "whatever. So where are you and Mom going? Is the reason why you invited Kayleigh up because you won't be here for the weekend?"

As he stepped onto the floor from the stairs he walked over to his daughter and put his hands gently on her shoulders, "your Mom and I are going to New York for the weekend, we have been invited to a gala thing that will be really good for business contacts. We will be leaving very early in the morning and won't be back until late on Sunday to maximise our time there and make the most business contacts."

Rolling her eyes again she shook her head, "of course you are. Oh well though, at least I have Kayleigh for company."

Tucking some of his daughter's hair behind her ear he smiled softly at her, "yes you do but you girls can't get yourselves in any trouble and I won't allow Kayleigh to come back and visit and I won't allow you to go and visit her."

Sensing that Stephanie may be about to say something that would screw things up for them she stepped in, "don't worry Mr McMahon, we will be on our best behaviour."

Vince smiled at Kayleigh, "thank you Kayleigh, I am glad I can trust you with Stephanie." Turning back to Stephanie he said, "we will leave some money on the kitchen table for you girls to buy yourselves take-out if you want it or you can cook, it is entirely up to you. I will let you take Kayleigh's bag upstairs and for you both to do your homework because I'm sure you have some."

Grabbing Stephanie's hand Kayleigh pulled her towards the stairs, "yes Mr McMahon, thank you we will get on with that now."

Trailing behind her best friend as she dragged her up the stairs she was confused, "what's the rush?"

Turning to face her she motioned around her, "where's your room? I didn't want you to say something to get you or us in trouble so I thought it was best to get you out of there as I could see your temper rising."

Walking to her room Stephanie threw her school bag near her desk before she flopped onto her bed, "I can't help it, I'm stressed."

Sitting down gently on the bed beside her she could see one bonus with her parents being away for the weekend, "instead of being angry about them abandoning you, be happy that they are leaving because it means we are home alone and you can freely talk about what is on your mind."

Pushing herself up onto her elbows she looked at her friend hopefully, "even about . . . you know?"

Looking at her friend with a raised eyebrow she was mildly offended that she asked, "especially about that."

Laying back down she put her hands behind her head as she stared at the ceiling, "I guess it is a good thing then, I really do need to talk about it."

Kayleigh knew that she needed to talk about it, Stephanie was not the friend that had left her in Florida, something big had happened and she was worried about her but hopefully tomorrow she would know everything and maybe then it would give her some peace of mind having got it off her chest.

Laying down on the bed beside Stephanie she stared at the ceiling, "we really should do our homework you know."

"Eh, in a minute."

Both girls laughed and just lay there side by side staring up at the ceiling.


	9. Chapter 9

I just wanted to say a quick thank you to everyone for their support, it means a lot to me. Keep on reading/reviewing/favouriting etc :)

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After a late night watching movies Stephanie and Kayleigh didn't wake up until late into the morning and when they did they stayed in their pyjamas. Once they had eaten breakfast they went back up to Stephanie's room so she could finish off her homework.

The second that she finished her homework Stephanie saved the work and pushed her laptop back on the desk away from her spinning the chair around to see Kayleigh laying on the bed reading a magazine, "well my work is done so now we can do whatever you want."

Tossing the magazine somewhere in the room she quickly scrambled into a sitting position, "you can come and sit here and tell me about last weekend."

As much as she wanted to talk about it the reality of talking about it made her nervous. Getting up from the chair she went and sat on the bed beside her best friend, "what do you want to know?"

Looking at her friend like she was crazy she simply said, "everything."

"Well you know all about Saturday night because I told you on Sunday and we talked about how much I wished I had asked for his number so I could go on a date with him but I didn't expect to see him first thing on Monday morning."

Confused Kayleigh just stared at Stephanie for a minute before she said, ". . . how?"

The prospect of actually saying the words to another person, even if it was her very best friend who she would trust her life to, scared her but eventually she blurted out, "because he's my gym teacher."

Her eyes got so wide she was sure her eyeballs would fall out any second, "I . . . you . . . what?!"

Shrugging her shoulders she simply didn't know what to say now, "it was such a bitter sweet moment and it just got worse."

With her already struggling to give her the details Kayleigh decided to briefly change subjects, "I don't suppose your school website has a picture of him does it?"

Unsure Stephanie went back to her desk and quickly found the school's website and after a few unsuccessful attempts she eventually found him and brought up his biography, "here he is."

Moving from her seat on the bed to Stephanie's desk her eyes widened in shock, "damn, you weren't kidding about him, he really is a hottie."

Turning her head she glared at her best friend, "shut up, you're not helping."

Sitting down on the floor beside the computer chair which Stephanie currently occupied she leant back and looked up at her, "what? I don't see the problem seeing as you already hooked up."

Sighing heavily she ran her fingers through her hair, "you mean apart from the fact that he is my teacher which means I can't date him? Or the problem could also be the mixed fucking signals he gave me."

Startled by the sudden outburst she shuffled back to lean against the bed, "I need more details."

Feeling bad for snapping at Kayleigh she smiled guiltily, "I'm sorry for snapping, I had warned you my head was all over the place."

Smiling sympathetically she had had worse things said to her, "that was child's play to other stuff I have had said to me so don't worry and continue with your story."

"So I walked into my first class on Monday morning to come face to face with Paul, I swear he looked as shocked as I was when we saw each other but luckily for me the other girls in the class thought I was just shocked that he was a man and he was so hot."

Sniggering she could help but be amused by that, "if only they knew the truth."

Glaring at her friend she shook her head, "they won't, you are the only person who will **ever** know the truth. Anyway, he told me to meet with him after class to discuss what I missed and then I had to change whilst everyone else got started and then when I came out and began stretching he came up behind me and told the group I was with to stop talking and then he got hands on with the stretching as I was doing it wrong and then again with basketball as he used me as a demonstration dummy."

Raising her eyebrow Kayleigh didn't say anything but she was definitely thinking a lot of things.

"When Paul and I met in his office in summary he told me that we couldn't date and all of that shit because of his job . . . and then he kissed me before he let me leave his office."

"HE WHAT?!" Quickly clamping a hand over her mouth Kayleigh was shocked how loud that had actually came out so was glad they were alone, "oops, sorry. So he can't/won't date you but he'll kiss you?"

Shrugging her shoulders Stephanie pulled on the sleeves of her top covering her hands just to do something, "I don't think he will do anything else . . ."

"But he wants to."

Looking at her like she was crazy for butting in she tried to think of how to put this without sounding possessive, "you don't know what he wants."

"Neither does he. Steph I love you but face the facts, on the one hand he is telling you that he can't date you and on the other hand he is kissing you and that just screams of a man that has no idea what he wants or maybe he does know what he wants but he simply can't have it."

Staring at her best friend of fifteen years she was normally so quick at responding but she had nothing to say to that because it made no sense to her.

Taking the silence as a sign that she was thinking over what she had said she decided to just throw a question out there, "do you want him? I mean **really** want him and I want you to be truthful with me here."

Opening her mouth to answer she quickly shut it again, everything had changed since she found out that he was her teacher and now she was conflicted, "I do want him, I wanted him from the second I met him but I don't want to be the reason he loses his job and I don't want to ruin his life."

Raising her eyebrow Kayleigh looked at her best friend, "so in summary?"

Rubbing her face wearily Stephanie simply said, "I want him."

Happy with the answer she got up from the floor, "okay good. Now I have an idea on how you can move things forward but for that I need to know if you still have those hot pants?"

Spinning around in the chair she pointed to the set of drawers in the corner of the room, "second drawer down. Why do you want them anyway? I can't and won't wear them to school."

Opening the drawer she rifled through it until she found them and held them up, "these will hopefully be your secret to getting him to make a move on you."

"How exactly do you propose that I wear them in front of him? I can't exactly camp outside his house when I don't know where he lives."

Laughing at the absurdity of the statement she threw them at her friend smacking her in the face with them, "no idiot, you won't need to. You have him Monday right?"

Pulling the hot pants away from her face she folded them in her lap, "first thing Monday morning."

"Then you 'accidentally' have them in your bag instead of your shorts for gym and when he asks you say that they are mine and I was packing to go home and you were packing for gym class at the same time and I must have grabbed your gym shorts and you grabbed my hot pants You will say that you have nothing else on you so hopefully he will allow you to wear them all class and you can tease the hell out of him."

Putting the hot pants on her desk she stood up, "so you think wearing hot pants will force him to act on his feelings?"

Nodding her head she was doing a lot of hoping right now because she hated seeing her friend like this, "yes. If it doesn't cause him to do anything then maybe you need to think about just moving on but at least you will have tried."

"So in summary you are saying I need to go all out to try and turn his head and if I don't turn his head then I should give in."

Kayleigh smiled brightly, "exactly and hot pants are are classiest way of doing that."

Unable to stop herself Stephanie laughed at that, "there is nothing classy about hot pants"

"They're classy compared to a boob tube."

Standing there she contemplated everything that Kayleigh had said before she picked up the hot pants and went and put them in her gym bag, "if I get in trouble over this I will kill you."

Clapping her hands excitedly she smiled brightly, "you won't, he thinks you are too hot and would be too afraid of your secret getting out to tell anyone on you."

Tossing the bag back on the floor she turned around, "okay enough talk about him, let's get showered and I'll show you around town."

Hearing her best friend say she actually wanted to go out now meant that Kayleigh had done her job and she couldn't be happier with herself, "you have yourself a deal. I can't wait to see how posh the stores around here are."

Laughing Stephanie shook her head, "we will be on an adventure together as I haven't really been shopping since I have arrived."

Gasping in horror she pretended to fall to the floor, "oh my God, what have they done to you?"

Tossing a stuffed animal at her best friend for the dramatisation Stephanie shook her head, "it's called my parents, they haven't given me time to explore the area so we can do it together if you ever get your fat ass up off the floor and into the shower."

Pouting Kayleigh stood up, "my feelings are hurt."

"Your ass will hurt when I kick you up it to get you moving."

Laughing Kayleigh didn't dare mention she didn't have a towel as she made her way out of the bedroom.

Realising that she hadn't given her a towel Stephanie called out to her retreating form, "the towels are in the cupboard just outside of the bathroom."

Making her way into her en-suite bathroom she felt like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders having told someone about the situation with Paul and now she was going to be able to enjoy the rest of her weekend.

Paul had spent a lot of time thinking about what Diana had said, mainly because he couldn't get Stephanie out of his head so he was having an internal battle with himself over it.

When he was at work Paul could forget about Stephanie when she wasn't in his class because he had other things he had to focus on but it was Saturday, he had nothing to do, nowhere to go and all he could do was think about her and it was driving him crazy. Grabbing his gym bag and his keys he left the house to go and train in the gym to take his mind off of her.

Walking into the gym he smiled at the Receptionist, "good morning Zee."

Giving him the kind of look you would give to a child whilst you told them off she shook her head, "it's Zoe but you know that Paul and yet you still call me 'Zee' knowing I hate it."

Laughing at her he did know it annoyed her but her reaction always amused him so he couldn't find it in his heart to stop, "but you know deep down you love it . . . or you just love me, one or the other."

Signing him in she handed him a key for a locker, "I think you will find I tolerate you as it is my job."

The twinkle in her eyes told him she was only kidding which caused a smile to grace his lips, "do you just 'tolerate' your husband too when you're here?"

Seeing her husband approaching she nodded her head, "actually yes I do."

Aiden laughed as he approached the desk, "and what are you two talking about?"

Turning around to face his friend they shook hands, "your wife was just telling me how she just tolerates you."

"You what?! I did not say that."

Smiling widely Aiden could see in Paul's eyes that he was teasing his wife, "if I were you Paul I would go and change before I kick you out for teasing my wife."

Pretending to look offended Paul crossed his arms, "I thought it was bros before hoes."

Before Aiden or Zoe could do any harm to him he headed off to the locker room to change laughing along the way.

As soon as Paul had left Aiden turned to his wife leaning over the counter kissing her gently, "is it me or is there something wrong with him?"

Smiling she stood up leaning on the desk in front of him so they couldn't be overheard, "it's definitely not you, normally he is jokey but there was something odd about him."

Giving his wife one more quick kiss he pushed away from the desk, "I bet it's women troubles but I will find out."

Twenty minutes later and Paul was setting up the bench press when Aiden appeared beside him, "I'm being nice."

"I know, I am just bored so thought I would spot you and switch the weights out for you."

Shrugging his shoulders Paul just finished off setting up before he sat down, "thanks."

Watching him complete a few reps Aiden decided to push him for information, "is it my imagination or are you having girl troubles?"

"If you mean girl I want but can't have troubles then yes you have it right. Got any hints on how to get over someone you can't have?"

Setting the bar back on the hold he leant on it gently, "date. I was with this woman and she dumped me and I thought I would never get over her but then a friend set me up on a date and I met Zoe and the rest is history. On the other hand I know a couple who split up and who couldn't live without each other and realised it and then found their way back to each other and are now happier than they ever were."

Sitting up he turned and looked at his friend, "so in summary dating will be good for me to either move on or find my way back to this woman, which will never happen by the way."

"Never say never. If she is your one and only you will find your way back into her arms or she will come running back into yours and if not you will find your one if you put yourself out there and date."

Groaning Paul lay back down and gripped the bar, "women are a fucking nightmare."

Helping him take a full grip on the bar Aiden laughed, "I know and you're not even married yet."

Gritting his teeth Paul began to pump the bar up and down trying to exercise Stephanie out of his brain.


	10. Chapter 10

Walking into school on Monday Paul couldn't stop thinking about what Aiden had said about dating because Diana had said the same thing, even if they were for different reasons they had still said the same thing so maybe it wasn't a bad idea.

Making his way to the teacher's lounge to check on his mail he got side-tracked when he heard his name being called so turned around and smiled when he saw who it was, "why hello there."

Smiling she made her way closer to him, "hi. Are you single?"

Taken back he couldn't help but laugh, "why don't you get straight to the point?"

"Well are you?"

Nodding his head he wasn't sure where this was going, "I am, why?"

"Because I wondered if you wanted to go out on a date?"

Raising his eyebrow he tilted his head, "are you hitting on me Mrs Myles?"

Smirking she patted his shoulder before rubbing her small but noticeable stomach, "in your dreams Mr Levesque, I am quite happy with my husband and soon to be baby thank you."

Pretending to be upset he frowned, "well that is just cruel. Who am I supposed to go on a date with then?"

"One of my friends. She came out of a long term relationship a few months back and it was a bad break up so she swore off men for a few months. She is now ready to date again and she asked me if I knew any single guys who wouldn't break her heart and I thought of you."

Unsure if that was a compliment or not he simply said, ". . . Thanks."

Laughing at his reaction she pushed him for an answer, "so will you go on a date with her?"

"I . . . I'm not sure." In his head he had Stephanie's face and Aiden's words doing battle and he was conflicted, "I don't want to inadvertently hurt her so I will say no, sorry."

She appreciated his honesty even if it wasn't the answer she had hoped for, "okay then, thank you anyway."

Smiling softly he felt bad but he couldn't do it, "it's okay. Good luck though, I hope you find somebody for her."

"I hope I do too."

The two of them separated to go about getting ready for their classes to begin.

As she stood in the locker room on Monday morning Stephanie knew that she shouldn't have listened to Kayleigh as she looked at the hotpants in her hands.

The amount of fun the two girls had had over the weekend couldn't possibly be measured as she was sure that after she had gotten everything off her chest the two of them hadn't stopped smiling and laughing until Kayleigh left on Sunday evening. Facing up to the reality of the decisions that she had made whilst her best friend was there she slowly changed into her hotpants groaning as one of the girls whistled, "stop it."

Belle walked over to her and sat down on the bench beside her, "after what we said about Mr Levesque last week are you trying to hit on him?"

Groaning she shook her head, "no. My best friend came up for the weekend to visit and she was packing to leave as I was packing my gym bag and she must have picked up my gym shorts and I have her hotpants. I can't wear these can I?"

Shrugging her shoulders Belle really wanted to see the teacher's face when she walked out in them, "I don't know, you will have to ask Mr Levesque."

Groaning that was not what she wanted to hear now she had no confidence, "if he kills me make sure to tell my best friend Kayleigh that I am going to haunt her forever."

Pushing Stephanie towards the door Belle nodded to one of the other girls for her to open it and as soon as she had she gave Stephanie a hard push out of it, "I will, don't worry."

Stumbling out of the door Stephanie turned around and glared at Belle, "you're supposed to be my friend."

"I am, I just don't want you taking up my lesson time."

Walking backwards she shook her head before she turned around and almost crashed into Paul's chest jumping as he seemingly came out of nowhere, "Jesus. Where the hell did you come from?"

Pointing at his office he smiled with amusement, "my office, I was coming to see if anybody had actually changed yet."

Seeing that the girls were watching them from the changing room he motioned to the gym, "why don't you go out into the gym and we can talk there?"

Relieved that they could get away from the prying eyes she walked into the main part of the gym away from the prying eyes, "I'm sorry about the girls, they're being so utterly pathetic and childish."

Shrugging his shoulders he was used to it, "that's nothing new for me, it's a hazard of the job. Excuse me if I am not up on the height of fashion but hotpants aren't exactly gym attire."

Blushing at the fact that he noticed so quickly she looked down at her feet nervously, "they're not. My best friend came up to visit from Florida for the weekend and when she was packing to leave I was packing for gym and she must have picked up my shorts. I don't have anything else that I could wear for the lesson so I understand if you want me to sit it out."

Shaking his head he wasn't going to punish her for it, "it's okay this one time but make sure next time that you have the right clothes in your bag please."

Nodding her head she definitely would as she couldn't take the embarrassment of this even if she did want to turn his head.

For the entire lesson Paul felt like the universe was punishing him for not agreeing to go on that date when it was offered to him because it felt like Stephanie was always in front of him and always bent over in the hotpants that hugged her curves and showed off her ass delightfully.

By the end of the lesson he was ready to tear his hair or his eyes out so he could stop seeing those images of her going around and around in his head but now he knew of something he had to do at lunchtime.

As Stephanie changed in the locker room she heard all of the girls talking about how Mr Levesque couldn't stop staring at Stephanie and how they should all try wearing hotpants in class at the same time to see how he would react and which one of them he would take first. Rubbing her temples she felt a migraine coming on as she listened to their teenage crap, there was no way somebody as mature as Paul would ever look at one of them.

Quickly exiting the locker room as soon as she had changed she literally bumped into one of her male classmates, "shit, I'm so sorry."

Laughing he smiled at her thinking she was really cute, "it's okay. I've not seen you around here before, are you a Freshman?"

Shaking her head she smiled politely, "newly transferred Senior actually. I've not seen you before so we're both even."

"Well my name is Hugh and I think you're cute."

Opening her mouth to say what was on the tip of her tongue she quickly shut it again and thought again how she was going to reply as she didn't want or need any more gossip floating around about her, "thanks for the compliment, my name is Stephanie."

He really wanted to ask her out but he wanted to know more about her first so decided to wait, "it was nice to meet you but I'd better go to class before I get detention but hopefully I will see you around sometime."

Smiling politely she nodded her head, "sure."

As she walked towards the exit of the gym she failed to see Paul stood there having watched their entire interaction and barely been able to resist the urge to walk over there and claim her as his. Realising the way he was thinking and how dangerous he couldn't wait to do the one thing he needed to do and immediately went off in search of Mrs Myles.

A couple of the girls that Stephanie was in gym with had passed her talking to Hugh and were now sat in a group of other girls waiting for the English lesson to start, "she is such a whore. You should see the way she has the two hottest men in this school eating out of the palm of her hand. I would lock up your boyfriends because she will probably be on to them next. You've got to wonder if the reason she transferred here was because she was a little slut in her old school and they wanted rid of her."

Stephanie was just about to enter her English class when she panicked thinking she had forgotten her book so stood just outside the door rifling through her bag looking for it when she heard the conversation and she knew it was about her. It pissed her off that these girls didn't know her but acted like they did. Upon finding her book she shut her bag and walked into class taking a seat and pulling her stuff out placing it on the desk slightly amused by the conversation seemingly drawing to a close.

Looking up briefly she saw Belle walk in and immediately be called to the girls with some subtle head nods towards her. Rolling her eyes she turned her attention to her bag digging around until she found her phone and immediately texted Kayleigh despite class starting.

_These people seriously test my patience. Bitches are talking about me thinking I want some stuck up preppy Greenwich boy._

Kayleigh was in class when her phone vibrated and she looked at it anyway and immediately laughed regretting it when the teacher turned their attention to her, "what is so funny Ms Bridge?"

Internally panicking she tried to think up a lie, "I thought you swore."

Shaking his head the teacher was disappointed, "well may I suggest you pay closer attention then and next time you won't disturb the class."

Nodding her head she was glad she didn't get caught, "yes Sir." Immediately turning her attention to her phone beneath her desk she replied.

_What the hell happened?_

Completely ignoring the teacher Stephanie focussed on her phone instead.

_I literally ran into some slimy dick who thought he was clever and these bitches are saying I'm after him (eww) and Paul._

_If only they knew the truth. You should set them straight. How are things with Paul?_

_Eh, I'm not sure. Wanting him and not being able to have him is killing me, I have never felt like this before._

Putting her phone away she reluctantly turned her attention to the lesson as the teacher wanted them to do a worksheet.

As the lesson drew to a close Stephanie turned to Belle, "can I ask a favour please?"

Gathering her papers together Belle shoved them into the folder, "sure, what is it?"

"Can I talk to you about someone please?"

Tossing everything into her bag Belle nodded, "sure. I've got a free now and I know you do too so we could go for a walk and I'll show you parts of the school you won't have seen yet."

Smiling softly she was glad she wasn't freezing her out, "that would be great, thank you."

The two girls gathered the rest of their things together and headed out.

Paul walked through the school making his way to Mrs Myles' class, he wasn't entirely sure he was doing the right thing but he had to try this for the sake of his job. Arriving at her classroom he was disappointed to see that she was in class but this couldn't wait for him so interrupted by knocking on the door.

Looking at the door she was surprised and confused to see the gym teacher stood there, "how can I help you Mr Levesque?"

"Can I have a quick word please?"

Nodding her head she put her pen down, "I have shown you how to do the first problem so why don't you try to do the second problem using the same principle whilst I talk to Mr Levesque."

Making sure they were doing the work she had just assigned them she then walked out of the classroom pulling the door closed behind her, "can I help you?"

Realising how stupid and ridiculous he was to pull her out of class he shook his head, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done this."

Confused as he turned to walk away she grabbed his arm, "you've got me out of class now so you may aswell say what you came here to say."

Turning back around he ran his hands over his head, "I came here to say that I would go out on the date with your friend."

Her eyes widened, "really? You were so adamant you didn't want to earlier."

Sighing he knew he couldn't say what had changed his mind so just hoped to play it off, "really. I know I was adamant about it earlier but a guy can change his mind. I thought about it and realised that I need to put myself out there so yeah, if you could arrange it all then I would be grateful."

Smiling widely she was so happy right now, "are you free on Friday?"

Surprised by the suddenness of it he just nodded silently unable to form a sentence.

"Okay good. I will set it all up and then text you the details. I've got to get back onto my class now but thank you Paul."

"You're welcome Tilly."

Turning around he left unable to stop thinking about what he had just gotten himself in to.


	11. Chapter 11

The two girls made their way across campus with Belle showing Stephanie the important sights before they came across the playing field and they took a seat on the far edge watching the freshman playing sports.

Once they were comfortable on the ground Belle said, "so who is it we are talking about exactly?"

Keeping it simple and getting straight to the point she said, "Hugh."

Immediately intrigued Belle turned to face her, "you have my full attention."

Sighing Stephanie kicked at the ground not really sure where to start because she wasn't sure why she cared when she was interested in Paul but she wanted word to get out that she wasn't interested in Hugh, "I don't know how to put this without coming across like a bitch."

"Don't censor it, just say it. I know I don't know you really well yet but I would rather you were just honest and didn't not say what was on your mind."

Picking at the grass she just blurted out, "does he always come across so slimy, preppy, stuck up and arrogant?"

The laugh that passed Belle's lips shocked Stephanie, "what did I say?"

"Well I was under the impression that you had the hots for him."

Making a face that could only be described as similar to a baby sucking on a lemon Stephanie actually did feel like she was going to hurl, "do you want me to bring up my breakfast? Today was the first time that I have ever met him and if it is the only time I meet him it is one time too many. Nothing about him that I have seen is anything like the kind of guy that I go for, everything from the slimy attitude to the arrogant nature, I'd rather be single forever than go out with him."

By this point Belle was laughing so hard she thought her sides were going to split despite how much she was trying to stop laughing to hold this conversation she just couldn't. When her laughter eventually died down she smiled sheepishly at Stephanie who was sat there just watching her, "umm, yeah I'm sorry. You see the thing is I don't think there is a single girl in this whole entire school who wouldn't give their left and right arm to go out with Hugh, he is like the school 'hottie' if you will. I'm not saying you have to fancy him but hearing someone say that they don't is a first for me. I've got to be honest what you experienced today was probably something you could call 'the Hugh experience', he was laying on the charm because he probably sees you as a prize to claim as his, he wants to be the first male in the school you date or something."

Her eyes widened at the revelation, "that's it, I'm going to invest in some bug repellent after school to keep him away from me."

"Or you could tell him no."

Raising her eyebrow Stephanie stared at her friend not believing that worked, "and you swear on everything you hold dear that he knows what the word 'no' means?"

Opening her mouth she quickly shut it again when she realised that the other girl was right, "okay you have a point there. You just have to be persistent and keep telling him no."

"And until he learns to understand the meaning of the word I just have to deal with everyone thinking I'm a man stealing bitch. I hated moving here as it was, I don't want to add another reason to the already long list of why I want to go back home. It is my Senior year, I want to enjoy it and to be honest I really am not looking for a boyfriend right now and if I was he would be a hell of a lot more mature than someone like him."

Raising her eyebrow Belle had to put the name out there, "someone like Mr Levesque?"

Her eyes widened at the mention of his name, she hadn't expected this conversation to go there and she was desperate to steer it away from that topic because she had promised herself that Kayleigh would be the only person she told about her feelings for Paul or what had happened and what she wanted to happen between them, "what?! Why would I be interested in him? I just meant that Hugh seems quite immature as he expects every girl he fancies to fall at his feet and worship the ground he walks on."

Feeling guilty for insinuating that she fancied their teacher she nodded her head, "I understand now. Just so you know I will drop some subtle hints with the girls and let them know to back off you with regards to Hugh as you aren't interested in him. Between you and I though, none of them have a chance with him anyway so I don't know why they care so much."

Smiling softly she wished it made her feel better but it didn't, "thank you for helping me, I really appreciate it."

The two girls then got up and went back to their tour of areas of the campus Stephanie had yet to see.

Sitting in a restaurant on Friday night waiting for this mystery woman Paul was questioning his decision making abilities. He had agreed to this date out of pure jealousy and had delighted in telling Stephanie's class that he had a date tonight enjoying the flicker of hurt he had seen on her face when he had done so.

_Flashback:_

_Standing in the middle of the gym watching as the class all seemed to be taking forever to warm up and run the drills he had explained to them. Walking closer to them all he crossed his arms over his chest, "are you planning to keep me waiting forever for you to all get started? I have a date tomorrow night that I would actually like to attend if you could all find it within yourselves to get moving."_

_After mentioning that he had a date he heard the murmurings and he heard the laughter that clearly followed a joke but he didn't hear what people were actually saying as he was too busy staring at Stephanie noticing the pain briefly etched in her features and the way her eyes were suddenly anywhere but on him._

_He was the one who had laid down the law that they had to keep things professional, she had been the first one to make the move to find somebody else but yet here he was stood wanting to wrap her up in his arms and take her pain away and she was stood there looking hurt that he dared go on a date with another woman._

_End flashback._

Shaking his head to rid himself of those thoughts as he noticed the waiter approaching him followed closely by a female who he assumed to be a date and he appeared to be right when they stopped at his table, "Paul?"

Smiling softly he stood up, "Sierra?"

Nodding her head she hugged him gently as the waiter left them alone, "I want to apologise if Tilly was a little strong or blackmailed you into this. If it makes you feel better she kind of did the same thing to me too."

Laughing Paul pulled her seat out for her to take a seat, "don't worry, no blackmailing was necessary. I actually agreed to come on this date willingly, it may have taken me a few hours to say yes but there was no blackmailing involved."

Sitting down Sierra picked up her menu and the two of them enjoyed some small talk as they decided on what they would like to eat.

The second both of their menus were shut and placed on the table she decided to find out more about him, "so all I know about you is that your name is Paul Levesque, you work with Tilly and apparently you are a really nice guy. Feel free to fill in any blanks."

"I'm twenty four and I'm a gym teacher. I'm not sure what other blanks to fill in but you can ask any questions you want to."

Hearing him say that he was a gym teacher it all made sense now as to why his physique was like it was, "no wonder you look so good. I don't say I envy you teaching a group of hormonal male teenagers, sounds like my idea of hell."

Everyone always assumed he taught boys so he was going to enjoy seeing her face when he revealed the truth, "I actually teach the girls."

Her eyes widened in shock and she actually felt even more sorry for him now, "you have my sympathies, teaching girls is possible worse than boys, especially when you are as handsome as you are."

Slightly embarrassed by the compliment he laughed awkwardly, "thanks, I think. So tell me about yourself."

"My name's Sierra, I'm twenty seven and I am a shop assistant and college student. Tilly is my oldest friend in as much as we grew up on the same street together and we went through school together and we have been there for each other through everything. When my Mum died suddenly when I was twenty and I went off the rails she let me go crazy for a few months hoping I would sort myself out before she dragged me back into the real world forcing me to face up to reality. I'm not looking for sympathy of any sort, I have just learnt the hard way about how difficult and awkward it is when people don't know up front that you have lost a parent and things then get awkward fast."

Her honesty was refreshing but he still felt like she was missing something, he didn't feel like he had the immediate connection to her that he had had to Stephanie. The second he realised what he had just thought he immediately wanted to slap himself in the head because he was here to forget about her and not think about her, "I can understand why you would want to get that out of the way and not have to deal with any awkwardness. What are you in College for?"

She had noticed how he spaced out on her briefly but she had barely met him and it was a Friday night so there were many reasons why it could be, "I'm basically doing business, it's a lot more complicated than that but to be honest it's Friday night, it's our first date and I really don't want to bore you to death with the details."

Their laughter was interrupted by the waiter coming by to take their orders. As soon as he left again Paul had one question he wanted to ask, "tell me to mind my own business but after what Tilly said to me I wondered what on earth happened in your last relationship. You don't need to give me full details but she made it sound really bad."

Rolling her eyes she took a sip of her newly delivered drink, "it wasn't awful, I am sure other people have been through worse but for me it was pretty bad. I was with this guy for just over two years and then he proposed out of the blue and we were going to get married. I began basic wedding preparations just to see how much money we would need to save and I contacted a caterer and we met with her . . . only for her to then reveal she had been 'in a relationship' with my fiancé for the best part of eight months. It killed me, it totally destroyed me and I swore off men for life but this was about six months ago and for the past three months Tilly has been going on and on at me to get back out there and you were the sucker she set me up with when I finally agreed, no offence by the way."

"None taken. It's nice to know Tilly wasn't exaggerating though, I thought for sure she had to guilt me into it but that was pretty rough, I'm not surprised you swore off men for a while."

"Sadly no she wasn't exaggerating. So tell me about your last relationship, I can't see a reason why you would be single."

He didn't know why but the talk of his last relationship just brought images of Stephanie into his head which wasn't helpful, he was supposed to be here to forget about her and move on and not to spend the entire evening thinking about her.

Watching him intently Sierra was trying to gauge whether his relationship had ended good or bad when an idea hit her, "or is your last relationship not so much in the past but more in the present?"

Frowning he was now confused, "I'm lost. I am one hundred percent single, I don't have a girlfriend and haven't in . . . I actually don't know how long so I don't want you to get it into your head that I'm lying to you because I'm not."

Staring into his eyes she believed that he wasn't officially with somebody but that wasn't the only way for him to be taken, "you may not be officially with her but you would like to be wouldn't you?"

Rubbing his face wearily he was grateful when their food arrived and he could avoid answering her.

The mood between them had changed, it was less jokey and more serious but if she was honest Sierra was grateful of that and she was also grateful for the fact that he seemed to be pining over somebody as it meant she could end this evening feeling good about herself despite not being ready to even really begin a relationship with someone.

Throughout the starter they talked but it had nothing to do with the topic they had been on before it had arrived but when their dishes were removed and they were waiting for their main course she steered the conversation back to where it had been, "be honest with me Paul, there is a woman you want to be with and she isn't me is she? Don't worry about what Tilly said to you, if I'm honest I would be relieved if you were interested in somebody else because being here with you makes me realise that I'm not ready to try the whole relationship thing again yet but I am having a good time with you."

She wasn't ready to have a relationship so no matter what he said this thing between them wasn't going to go anywhere anyway so he had nothing to lose, "there is a woman but it is complicated. There is some barriers in the way that prevent us being together but we have kind of slept together one time and it's killing me to say no to her because it feels like she wants this as much as I do."

Listening to him talk about barriers made her wonder what he had gotten himself in to, "she's not a student is she?"

The last thing he was going to do was admit the truth to that question, "no I didn't sleep with a student." It was true, she wasn't a student when they slept together so he had a clear conscience.

Relieved to hear that she wasn't on a date with somebody who would sleep with his students she relaxed a little, "I'm not sure what barriers there are but if you want to be with her then don't let them get in the way. You only have one shot at true love and happiness and you will forever kick yourself if you don't put yourself out there and try it, I'm not saying she is the one for you but you won't know unless you try."

He couldn't do that, he couldn't put himself out there with Stephanie because knowing his luck it would end badly, "I am the kind of guy that has no luck, if it can go wrong to a person then it will go wrong and I really am not sure that I want to risk everything for a shot at something that may not even work."

"Then don't risk it, live your life miserable and pining for a woman that you will never have and you will never know what could have been between you. You have two choices, risk it all or forget about her completely and move on, there is not a third or a fourth choice so make up your mind about which one you want and don't take no for an answer."

Grumbling lowly as he speared a piece of steak with his fork he liked her optimism, "if only it was that easy."

Sierra had never met a man that was so indecisive, normally they saw what they wanted and they went for it but the guy in front of her was nothing like that, "it is as easy or as hard as you make it. Stop thinking with your head and start doing with your heart. I'm not saying go out there and propose to her, I'm just saying that maybe you need to step outside of your head and just follow your heart."

She had absolutely no idea exactly how much he wanted to do that, "but what if you have already told a woman that nothing can happen between you? Surely they won't like you changing your mind."

Smiling at him she liked how little he knew about the way women worked, "believe me this is probably the only time in your life where you can get away with changing your mind and living to see tomorrow. She may be a little upset initially if she is trying to move on but if she wants you as much as you want her then she will be ecstatic. Does this mean you will go for it?"

Shrugging his shoulders there was so much to think through, "I don't know, maybe. You can't tell a soul we had this conversation though please, not even Tilly, I really don't want anybody at work knowing about my personal life because I like to keep the two things separate."

"Your secret will be safe with me as long as you promise to keep me updated, it might help me put myself out there if I can see that you have done it and it worked for you or that you tried and it just wasn't meant to be."

Nodding his head he reached his hand out towards her, "you have yourself a deal."

Shaking his hand she smiled brightly as they changed the subject and enjoyed the rest of their evening together.


	12. Chapter 12

A few weeks had passed since his date and although the girls had asked him about it on the following Monday he had kept tight lipped refusing to talk about it so that Stephanie didn't get the wrong idea.

On the other hand Stephanie had settled into school and living in Greenwich, she didn't really like it but she dealt with it. She was friendly with Belle and did hang out with her and the other girls from time to time but she just didn't feel that they were going to be everlasting friendships and preferred to focus on her school work so she could graduate and get out of this town.

It was Thursday and after feeling like the day was never going to end Stephanie had just finished gym and now she could go home, never again did she want them to switch gym class to be the last period of the day. Taking her phone out of her bag to check for texts she saw one from her brother so quickly put her phone on the bench whilst she packed her stuff away to leave. Turning around when she heard her name being called she smiled hearing an invitation to go and get ice cream with some of the girls, she really did need the sugar hit today so nodded her head and quickly grabbed her bag following them out of the locker room completely forgetting about her phone on the bench.

Finishing off his paperwork after putting all of the equipment away Paul put his bag over his shoulder and left locking his office behind him before he went and did a quick sweep of the female locker room making sure that no personal items had been left behind. Doing a quick sweep of the locker room he was impressed that nothing was left behind but then he came to a phone and rolled his eyes, "you can't get the girls off these and yet someone forgot theirs, typical." Slipping the phone into his bag to drop off on in the office on his way out he made his final checks before he went home.

Just as he was about to leave his fellow gym teacher requested his help with fixing some equipment so by the time he actually then left he had completely forgotten about the phone so it stayed in his bag.

Stephanie had fun getting ice cream and gossiping with the girls, now they realised she really did have no interest in Hugh they had backed off about and were all friendly towards her now which was all she really wanted. Parting ways when they had finished eating Stephanie made her way home surprised to see her Mom's car in the driveway.

Pulling into the garage she grabbed her bag from the back seat before she headed inside, "I'm home."

"In the lounge."

Dropping her bag at the stairs Stephanie made her way into the lounge surprised to see her Mom seemingly relaxing on the couch, "hey, is everything okay?"

Smiling softly Linda nodded her head, "everything is fine. Apparently I have an ear infection and it has sent my balance a little off so your Dad sent me to the Doctor and then home. Don't worry, he drove me and then got a cab back to the office."

Frowning she sat beside here Mom, "that sucks. Can I get you anything?"

"A cup of coffee would be great please if you are making one but you don't need to go out of your way for me as I am sure you have homework to do."

Making a face she would rather make coffee than do her maths homework, "maths can wait."

Leaving the lounge she went and made her Mom a cup of coffee before she contemplated doing her homework, "I really should start on my homework." It was only when she thought about doing her homework that she remembered her text from Shane, "fuck. I had better reply to Shane's text first."

Linda laughed at her daughter, "I'm surprised he hasn't started ringing you repeatedly yet."

Smiling she nodded her head, "me too." Getting up she went out into the hall and grabbed her bag before she brought it back into the lounge and started rifling through it, "ugh, why can't I find it? I am sure I put it in here."

Moving on the couch Linda immediately regretted it but she gritted her teeth and fought through it, "are you sure it isn't in the pockets? You have a couple."

Going through the pocket it was empty, "nope, nothing."

"Call it, you should at least be able to locate it if it is in your bag otherwise we will have to cancel it unless you know where you lost it and can retrace your steps."

Stressing out because there was some seriously personal texts on that phone to Kayleigh that she did not want anybody else getting hold of she immediately grabbed her Mom's cell phone from the table and called her own.

His bag was sat on the kitchen table waiting to be put away but he honestly felt that after the week he had had he just couldn't be bothered and yet there was still one more day to go but at least he wouldn't have to face Stephanie again.

Chopping up some vegetables for his dinner he knew he had some things he had to do after dinner but he was going to take some time for himself right now as the Stephanie situation was driving him crazy as Sierra's words were constantly playing on his mind.

The pan was sizzling and he was just about to put his fish in to cook but suddenly he heard ringing so turned around to answer the phone but quickly realised that it was not his phone that was ringing. He was going to ignore the ringing but it sounded like it was coming from somewhere in the room and it was going to drive him crazy unless it stopped soon or he found it.

Turning the stove off he began to attempt to follow the ringing but he couldn't quite pinpoint it however as he walked by the table it got louder and at that minute he remembered the phone in his bag, "fuck." Quickly he began trying to open his bag to get to it.

As Stephanie listened to the phone ringing out she was kind of relieved that it wasn't answered quickly but it did mean that nobody had obviously found it which meant her Dad was going to kill her. She was about to give up when she heard the phone be picked up and she held her breath wondering who had her phone.

Blindly searching through his bag until his hand could grab the offending object he pulled it out to see the name 'Mom' on the screen so in the hope of making sure she didn't panic he quickly answered it, "good evening. I am not sure whose phone this is but they left it in gym class today but they can pick it up tomorrow."

Listening to the voice she knew it but she couldn't place it but the second he said 'gym' it hit her and she gasped, "Paul?"

The second he heard his first name he knew that he hadn't met any parents yet and that only one student knew his first name, "Stephanie?"

Getting up from her seat Stephanie quickly exited the room not wanting her Mom to overhear this really weird conversation that was about to go down, "yeah it's me. Why do you have my phone?"

"You left it in the locker room after gym, I meant to drop it into the office before I left but I got sidetracked on my way and forgot about it. You can pick it up from my office in the morning if you want."

Frowning she didn't want to have to wait until morning as her brother would kill her and she didn't want a lecture about being irresponsible if she had to use her Mom's phone to text him, "can't I like pick it up from somewhere tonight please?"

He should say no, he knew he should say no and he definitely shouldn't agree to her coming to his house as he was just asking for trouble but before he knew what he was saying the words were out, "you can pick it up from my house if you **really** need it tonight."

"Yes, yes I do please. What's your address please?"

He had said the words now and he couldn't back out so he gave her his address before she promised to be over soon and they both hung up.

Staring at the piece of paper in her hand she could not believe that she had his home address and that she was actually about to drive over there. Staring at her Mom's phone in her hand she folded the address and slipped it into her pocket before she walked into the lounge, "so I know who has my phone and where it is and they said I can pick it up now. Will you be okay for a bit whilst I go and collect it?"

Rolling her eyes at her daughter Linda shook her head, "I may have an ear infection and my balance may be off but I am perfectly able to be left alone for half an hour or however long it takes you to get your phone so you don't go mad without or we don't get frantic phone calls from people who are unable to get hold of you. Go now so you're home in time for dinner so I don't have to listen to your Dad go on and on about you being irresponsible because he isn't listening to a word I say."

Laughing softly she placed the phone on the table, "okay. I promise I will be back as soon as possible."

Just as Stephanie was about to leave the room Linda had a nagging thought in the back of her head, "you're going to be safe aren't you? You're not going to somebody you don't know's house or putting yourself in danger just to get your phone back are you?"

Stopping in the doorway she turned to face her Mom happy that she could answer this in confidence, "I am not going to somebody I don't know's house, I will be perfectly safe."

Satisfied with her daughter's response she waved signalling that she could leave.

Walking out of the house Stephanie climbed into her car putting the key in the ignition ready to turn the engine on but she found herself looking at herself in the rear view mirror, it wasn't that she wanted to look a certain way for him, it was simply that she found herself to be nervous at the thought of seeing him outside of school where words could be exchanged that broke her heart and she needed to psych herself up to see him.

The second he put the phone down from her he turned the stove off and began tidying the house, despite the fact that she wouldn't be staying he didn't want her to think that he lived like a slob.

As soon as he had finished tidying up he went back to the kitchen and picked her phone up again, he didn't even know why he was doing this but he found himself scrolling through her messages. Most of the messages were mundane and there was nothing of any interest in the conversations but he saw a conversation with someone called 'Kayleigh' that was from right around the time he first met Stephanie that immediately drew his attention. Opening the conversation he scrolled right to the top and began reading:

_Kayleigh: So give me proper details._

_Stephanie: He was so sexy, he had the body of a Greek God, his eyes were so captivating and his smile . . . oh God his smile._

_Kayleigh: You can stop drooling now._

_Stephanie: :$ :$ :$ :$ I've never met anyone like him and not in a superficial way._

_Kayleigh: On a scale of 1-10 how hard have you fallen for him._

_Stephanie: 637237850920954823. I wish so much that I had gotten his number now. I guess what is done is done and I just have to live without him._

_Kayleigh: Maybe all of the men there are as hot as he is?_

_Stephanie: Trust me they're not. Let's not talk about him any more, after the phone conversation and now this I will never get him out of my mind._

No more than twenty minutes after she had hung up the phone with him Stephanie found herself stood outside of his front door ready to knock but as she lifted her hand to announce her presence she almost wished that she hadn't come. This was all real, there was nothing holding either of them back now because nobody knew where she was and there was nobody to see anything they did. There were so many possibilities of what could happen and part of her would prefer to turn around and just go home and do as he said keeping things professional but the bigger part of her wanted to knock on this door and see what happened and how things were between them when they weren't surrounded by people. Taking a deep breath she knocked on the door and just waited.

Hearing a knock on his front door he knew exactly who it was, he didn't know why he was so nervous because it was just Stephanie and not some crazy axe wielding maniac although how he was feeling right now she may aswell be an axe wielding maniac because if he made one wrong move then his head could be on the chopping block. Making his way from the kitchen through to the front door he slowly pulled it open, "you found it alright then."

Rubbing her hands on her skirt nervously she nodded her head, "yeah, it wasn't that hard to find at all."

Stepping aside he motioned her in, "go straight through, your phone is in the kitchen."

Taking a deep breath she brushed past him making her way inside his house to retrieve her phone.


	13. Chapter 13

This is for **dldb** and **levesque fan forever** for the impossible task I gave them to achieve this update and for everybody else who reviewed the last chapter, thank you so much and I hope you enjoy this one.

P.s. It contains some adult situations so if that stuff bothers you be aware.

* * *

Making her way through the house and into the kitchen she immediately spotted her phone on the table and picked it up making sure she had no messages from her brother before she turned to face Paul, "I'm so sorry about this."

He didn't even know what to say around her, she made him so nervous when they were alone like this that he just ended up sounding stupid.

Receiving only silence made her feel even worse. Looking around the kitchen she spotted the food on the worktop and her eyes widened, "oh my God, you should have told me that you were about to eat, I wouldn't have come now."

Speaking for the first time since she entered his house he said, "it's okay, I hadn't started cooking it yet."

He may have said it was okay but she had brought up with manners and she needed to get out of there for more reasons than one but this was her excuse, "even so, I am sorry for interrupting you. I will be going now so you can cook your dinner. Thank you again for this Paul, I really appreciate it."

Watching her as she raced past him reaching the front door with her hand on the handle ready to turn it he didn't know what came over him but suddenly he shouted, "wait." He noticed that she did as he asked and somehow on autopilot his feet carried him over to where she was stood immediately crowding in on her personal space placing his hand on the door above her head leaning on it so she couldn't open it as his chest pressed against her back.

Gasping when she felt him so close to her she stiffened a little trying to maintain a small amount of self respect, "what do you want?"

Burying his face in her hair he whispered, "you." At this point he had lost total self control and he needed her to be the adult and say no.

Letting go of the handle of the door she braced her one hand on the door and leant her head against it, she should say no, she shouldn't let this happen as he told her that they had to keep things professional but he was right there against her back telling her that he wanted her, "what about your girlfriend?"

"What girlfriend? We went on one date and neither of us were ready to date, her for her reasons and me because I am pining over someone else."

Turning around so she was now literally face to face with him as his head had gone from in her hair to his forehead resting on hers when she turned around, "if you are pining over somebody else why are you doing this to me?"

Confused he lifted his free hand to cup her cheek, "you are the person that I am pining over."

He had done enough talking, she wasn't directly saying no and he just couldn't wait any longer so captured her lips in a kiss.

The second he cupped her cheek she felt herself melt a little and wasn't worried by it as he was gentle and his touch did feel nice but when he captured her lips in a kiss she moaned in surprise and immediately wrapped her arms around his neck pulling him a little closer.

When she moaned he took it as an opportunity to deepen the kiss and soon his tongue was in her mouth and he was in heaven. Bending his elbow when she pulled him closer he tried not to crush her against the door as the contact between them was minimal before and was now so much so that he could feel every part of her body against him.

Giving herself completely to the feelings he was evoking within her she began to use her tongue to battle with his and lifted her one leg wrapping it around his waist pulling him closer.

Moaning into her mouth his hand found its way from her cheek to the thigh of the leg wrapped around his waist pulling him closer. Rubbing her thigh his hand slowly got higher until it was brushing against the bottom of her skirt getting ever so close to actually pushing it up her legs.

Ripping her mouth free things were going further than kissing now and someone had to say something, "Paul wait."

Keeping hold of her leg so it remained around his waist he slowly pulled his head back from hers to look at her properly, "what's wrong? Is it too much? Do you not want to? What?"

Leaning her head back on the door she groaned, "I . . . I don't know what we are doing."

Trying not to be smart with her he simply said, "we were kissing and I was enjoying it a lot."

Blushing she looked past him a little embarrassed, "I was too, maybe more than I should considering you're my te . . ."

The second she went to say that he was her teacher he put his finger over her lips, "don't say it, not now." Deciding to throw caution to the wind he put both of his hands on her thighs and slowly nudged her skirt up a little, "tell me if you have any complaints with me doing this."

Her heart knew what this meant but her head was happy to explain it away that raising her skirt up would just make things more comfortable for her and he could be closer to her which would be good for her as she enjoyed it. Nodding her head she pushed her hips away from the door, "I have no complaints."

Smiling he rested his head on her shoulder as he slowly raised her skirt to around her waist sliding his hands to her ass holding it gently as he pulled her closer to him and pushed his hips closer to her, "can I kiss you again now?"

Blushing feeling his hands on her ass she nodded her head, "I would be disappointed if you don't."

Lifting his head he quickly captured her lips losing himself in all of the feelings it was creating within him having her so close to him allowing his hands to slide from her ass to her waist holding it gently.

Things between them were heated, it had gone way past the point of simple kissing and she knew it as she was so hot for him that feeling his body so close to hers she began rocking her hips against him moaning when she felt his hardening cock pressing against her.

The second she began rocking her hips against him his head kicked in and he pulled back from the kiss feeling a stab to the heart as she whimpered at the loss of contact. He knew he had started this whole situation but suddenly he was having an attack of conscience, "Steph, do you know what is happening right now? If we don't stop right now things will go a lot further than you may be comfortable with."

Shaking her head she was not going to allow him to get her hot and ready for him and then just stop before they finished just because he suddenly thought with the head on his shoulders, "I know exactly what is happening right now, every nerve ending in my body knows what is happening right now." Slipping her hand between them she was so glad that he was wearing track pants as it meant that she could easily slip her hand inside his pants and grip him through his underwear, "you try and tell me that you want us to stop because what I am feeling right now really doesn't want you to."

Gasping when he felt her slip her hand beneath his underwear wrapping it around him he groaned as she squeezed him gently, "fuck Steph, please stop as you are killing me."

"Tell me you want us to stop and you want me to go home and I will leave you alone."

Squeezing his eyes tightly shut he wanted so badly to regain control of his mind and his body but he knew he had lost it all to her a long time ago, "fuck. I can't believe you are only seventeen and you are so confident at torturing me."

Stroking her hand up and down his shaft a little she didn't even know where this confidence was coming from, "you haven't answered my question."

He wasn't going to be able to do it, she had too much control over every part of him, mainly the part in her hand that had a mind of its own anyway. Deciding to take back some control over the situation he slipped his one hand between their bodies and slipped a finger past the barrier of her panties and inside of her body, "why don't you tell me you want me to stop and you want to leave."

The second he slipped a finger inside of her she moaned and her back arched searching for more, "fuck no, I'm not leaving until you fuck me really hard up against this door."

He didn't know if she meant the words she was saying or if they were just coming out because she was really hot right now, "do you know what you just said?"

Whimpering at the way he had just one finger still inside of her torturing her she bucked her hips a little, "I just said I'm not leaving until you fuck me up against this door but before I start begging for your cock in my pussy will you either take that finger out of my pussy or use it to fuck me before I rip your cock off."

Smirking at how feisty she was when she was horny he had yet to experience that so this was an experience, "my apologies madam." Sliding his finger almost all of the way out he quickly slipped it back in along with a second delighting in the way she screamed and her back arched at the invasion as he began to fuck her.

When she felt two fingers inside of her she screamed in pleasure, she had never felt pleasure like this and her hand quickly fell away from his cock as she focused on what he was doing to her. Before he could make her cum she gripped his wrist and stopped the movements, "stop, I don't want to cum unless it is on your cock."

Slowly removing his fingers as her hands pushed down his track pants and underwear he then quickly sucked his fingers clean much to her surprise judging by the way her eyes widened at the action before his hands went to the edges of her panties, "I know you'll kill me for this but I need to know that you are certain about this."

Irritated by the question she pushed him back a little before she ripped her tank top over her head and tossed it on the floor, undid her bra tossing that on the floor before she pulled her panties down and kicked them off to the side leaning back against the door with her legs spread and her skirt bunched around her waist, "you tell me."

Standing there like a statue watching her as she stripped for him he ripped his tank top off and pushed his track pants and underwear down before stepped closer to her pressing their chests together as he captured her lips in a searing kiss grabbing hold of her hips hoisting her up against the door.

Squealing against his lips as he hoisted her up she grabbed his shoulders digging her nails into the skin as it had come out of nowhere.

Once he had her against the door he used his upper body to hold her there as he carefully moved his hands to a better position to hold her before he pulled back from the kiss.

The second she felt that he was getting her in position for what she wanted she wrapped her legs around his waist just pulling him tightly against her holding herself up as she felt unsteady but the feel of him rubbing against her clit was a pleasant distraction. When he pulled back from the kiss her head fell back against the door and she moaned lowly and began bucking her hips desperate to feel him inside of her.

When she started bucking against him it was nearly his undoing, "Steph stop that, please. I haven't got a condom, I need to know we're okay."

Slowly opening her eyes she looked deep into his and nodded her head, "we're okay, I am on birth control pills I swear."

The look in her eyes told him that she was being completely truthful so carefully unhooking an ankle from his waist he pulled her leg wider smiling as she spread it wider holding it in position for him allowing him to use his hand to move his cock directly to her entrance slowly pressing the head inside of her.

The gym sessions were doing wonder for her right now as she held her leg into position as he slowly pushed his cock inside of her, much slower than she wanted but as soon as he was as far as he could go she wrapped her leg back around his waist and held him tightly, "no questions, no arguments, just fuck me and fuck me hard."

Looking into her eyes he could tell that she was being completely honest, "are yo . . ." Catching himself before he argued he quickly changed it, "is it okay if you hold yourself up with your legs around my waist and I use the leverage against the door to give you what you want?"

Eagerly nodding her head she just needed to feel him, "now shut up and move."

Not wanting to muffle her reaction he quickly moved his hands to either side of her head on the door and pulled his hips away from her before he thrust them forward hard and fast nearly releasing as she screamed and her back arched, "yes, like that."

Knowing exactly how she wanted it he focussed his entire energy on fucking her hard and fast against the door not caring when she dug her nails into his shoulders or clawed at his back.

The faster and harder he went the closer she got until she couldn't hold back, "Paul, I'm going to cum."

Slipping his hand between them he searched out her clit and began to tease it as he had been holding back and needed to release himself.

The second his fingers touched her clit she fell head first into the most amazing orgasm and her body shook from head to toe as he continued moving and playing with her clit until she felt him cumming inside of her setting off another orgasm within her.

Feeling her cumming a second time as he had his head buried in her shoulder was a surprise but he quickly began to kiss her neck, "you okay?"

Shaking her head she was shaking from head to toe feeling mini aftershocks going off throughout her body.

When she shook her head he panicked, "fuck. I'm sorry, what can I do?"

She felt him began to pull away and used what strength she had in her legs to wrap them tighter around his waist preventing him from moving, "don't move, please don't move."

"Let me lay us on the floor, I won't move from within you and you can rest okay?"

Nodding her head against his neck she was so grateful when she felt him lower them to the floor and he lay on his back laying her on his chest allowing her to stretch out but yet keeping a somewhat tight grip on him.

She didn't know how long she had been laying on his chest but her body was starting to return back to normal and she was beginning to feel the strength returning to her limbs when suddenly her phone started ringing. Completely having forgotten that she even had it she began looking around for it immediately spotting it just an arms length away from where they were laying where she had just discarded it. Picking up the offending object her eyes widened when she saw it was from her Mom immediately panicking putting a finger over Paul's lips as she answered the phone, "yes Mom? Are you okay?"

Linda was worried that her daughter was taking so long and having received a call from her husband to say that he would be returning very soon she needed to get Stephanie home before he started asking questions so she rang her relieved when the phone picked up and it was her voice, "I'm fine Steph but you need to get home. Your Dad just called to say he is on the way home so just incase he gets home before you if you have money stop off in the store and buy something to explain your absence and get home quickly please."

Gulping she sat up entirely getting ready to stand up, "yes Mom, I will be home as soon as I can. Sorry."

Hanging up the phone Stephanie tossed it to the side briefly before she stood up whimpering as his soft cock was removed from her pussy, "I sadly have to go."

Standing up he quickly pulled his underwear and pants up, "I hope you won't get in trouble for this."

Bending down she picked up her bra and put that back on before she picked her top up and pulled that on. Looking over her shoulder she blushed at the way he was watching her so intently so spreading her legs to tease him as she bent down to pick up her panties she turned around smirking at the way his mouth was practically on the floor, "be a good boy and we can do this again but until then why don't you keep these as a little souvenir of our afternoon together." Grabbing his hand she put her panties in his palm before she folded his hand up and then stepped back pulling down her skirt and then bent down once again to grab her phone, "I look forward to the next time Paul." Stepping forward she pressed a kiss to the side of his mouth as he stood there dumbly not saying a word or moving before she turned around and walked out of the door raking her fingers through her hair to make it more presentable.

Stood there in a daze he couldn't believe any of what had just happened, everything from him inviting her over to them having sex was a huge mistake on his part but the worst part was that he would go back and repeat it every single time. He didn't know how Stephanie was so confident with all things sexual but she turned him on like he had never been turned on before and he really needed to stop putting himself in those positions with her.

With panties still in his hand he grabbed his shirt from the floor and walked through to the kitchen dropping both articles of clothing on top of his bag and returned to cooking his dinner.


	14. Chapter 14

Taking a small detour to the store Stephanie was so grateful that she always had twenty dollars in her car for emergencies as she was able to use that to buy her Mom some chocolates that she would present in front of her Father as a 'Get Well Soon' gift.

Pulling up outside of the house she groaned seeing her Dad's car before she shut off the engine and climbed out with chocolates in hand. Pulling nervously on her skirt she felt self conscious without her panties and she just hoped her parents couldn't see or smell anything on her to indicate what she had just gotten up to.

Entering the house again she didn't announce her presence and just walked into the lounge pretending to be surprised to see her Dad there, "Dad, you're home. Quickly diverting attention away from herself she walked a little closer to her Mom and held out the chocolates, "I bought you these to try and make you feel a little better."

Linda hadn't expected her daughter to be so thoughtful and kind when she told her to pick something up at the store, "thank you Stephanie, that is very kind of you. I don't know what you all want to do for dinner tonight because I cannot cook."

Shifting a little on the spot she needed to shower before she could even think about dinner as she felt like she smelt of sex, "I will cook if you want but first I really need to shower as I didn't shower properly after gym and I really need another one."

Smiling sympathetically at her daughter whilst her husband stood there quietly for a change she understood what she meant, "of course, I am in no hurry for dinner as I have these lovely chocolates to eat."

Laughing she smiled at her Mom, "thanks Mom. I'll be down in like ten minutes or so I promise."

Once his daughter had left the room Vince opened his mouth, "did she look . . . different to you?"

Looking at her husband like he was crazy she didn't know what he meant, "different how?"

Vince shrugged, "I don't know, just . . . different. There was something about her that I can't put a finger on."

Shaking her head she didn't know where he was coming from, "I think you're talking crazy. All that matters to me right now is that she had a smile on her face, she is focussed on her school work but overall she just looks happy. Let's not push her on it and just let her be happy."

His daughter being happy was the most important thing to him, "you have a point. It is nice seeing her so happy now though, I never thought she would seem to be this happy after we moved until she went to college."

"Exactly so just get on with your life and let her get on with hers."

"With that sorted I will go and do some work whilst Stephanie showers. Call me if you need anything."

When she got upstairs Stephanie firmly shut her bedroom door before she threw her phone onto the bed and grabbed her pyjamas walking into the bathroom turning the shower on and immediately getting undressed tossing her clothes in the hamper to be washed. As she stepped under the spray of the shower she let her head fall back wetting her hair as her mind drifted back to how she had spent her afternoon and she smiled at the memories, it was one afternoon she wasn't soon going to forget and she couldn't wait to repeat it with him.

After showering thoroughly she stepped out of the bathroom dressed in her pyjamas with a towel wrapped around her hair just as her phone began ringing so she quickly went to pick it up smiling brightly when she saw Kayleigh's name, "oh my God, I was **just** thinking about you."

Kayleigh had tried ringing her friend for hours and was beginning to think she was avoiding her or something had happened to her, "thinking about calling me back after my twenty billion messages?"

"What messages?"

Raising her eyebrow Kayleigh wondered what had happened to her best friend, "the voice mails I left on your cell phone over the past couple of hours. Where the hell have you been?"

Blushing Stephanie bit down on her lip making sure her door was shut firmly before she dropped her voice to a whisper just incase one of her parents was outside, "let's just say I have just gotten out of the shower washing away the smell of sex so my parents don't know what I have been up to."

Squealing Kayleigh's full attention was on her phone call, "you had **sex**?! With who? Oh my God, please tell me it was Paul and not some other guy."

Blushing Stephanie looked down at the floor, "I can't talk about it right now as I need to make dinner as my Mum's not well but let's just say it was me, him and his front door. I will call you after dinner and you can get all of the details you want."

All Stephanie received was silence so she ended the call and quickly dried off her hair combing it before she bounded down the stairs into the lounge, "any requests for dinner Mom?"

Looking at the way her daughter bounded into the room Linda could see why her husband was questioning now, "whatever you want to cook. Do you need any help?"

"Of course not. You lay there and I will do all of the work."

Before she knew it the words were out of Linda's mouth, "are you okay? You are awfully cheery?"

Stephanie was shocked that her Mom had noticed but she had to hope she was going to buy this, "Kayleigh called for a gossip so after dinner I'm calling her back and I'm just excited to talk to her."

Not entirely sure that was all of it that did make a whole lot of sense though as she knew how close they were, "makes sense. Don't let me stop you making dinner so you can go and gossip."

An hour and a half later and Stephanie was laying on her bed with her door shut ready to call Kayleigh. Chewing on her lip she adjusted her pillows before she called Kayleigh.

Sat on the couch staring at the phone Kayleigh just wanted her to call already so the second her phone lit up and before it had even started ringing properly she answered it, "so what the hell happened and with who?"

Stephanie couldn't help but laugh, "well hello to you too."

"Screw hello, I want details."

Deciding not to keep her waiting any longer for fear of the end of her friendship she just started talking, "so I left my phone in the locker room after gym and when I got home I totally panicked when I couldn't find it and I called it and he answered, he said I could pick it up from his office in the morning but Shane texted me and I was pretty sure he would kill me if I didn't reply like then so I asked if I could have it before and he said I could pick it up from his house."

Cutting in Kayleigh needed to know one thing, "please tell me we are talking about Paul here, you haven't actually said any names yet."

Smiling softly she sighed happily, "yes we are. Anyway I went over, picked up my phone and I was about to leave when he told me to stop so I stopped and all of a sudden he was right behind me and I mean literally right behind me to the point that I could feel his body against my back, I asked him what he wanted and he said 'you'. He had gone out on a date like a few weeks back and he didn't shoot down the idea that he had a girlfriend so I asked about her and he said there wasn't one because he was pining over me. Long story short we ended up doing some serious making out against the door and he was about ready to push my skirt up to my waist when I stopped it because I was conflicted, I wanted him so badly but he had said nothing could happen because he was my teacher and he told me not to say it and asked if I had any complaints about him raising my skirt so I told him I didn't and we went back to making out and things got a bit hotter before he stopped it asking if I knew what was happening and saying if we didn't stop then they would go further than I might be comfortable with. Every single part of my body was on fire and after waiting so long to have him close to me again I wasn't going to let him stop so I just slid my hand inside his pants and grabbed him, he soon came around to my way of thinking and we ended up fucking against the door and let me tell you, it was even better than last time."

Squealing Kayleigh was so excited for her, "so are the two of you now a thing?"

Grumbling that was one thing they didn't discuss, "I don't actually know. We ended up not discussing it because my Mom called when I was recovering from my two orgasms to say I needed to get home like right away but when I got dressed he was staring at my with his mouth practically hanging on the floor so I gave him my panties as a souvenir."

Whistling lowly when she knew Steph had gossip she didn't think it would be this good, "damn, he gave you two orgasms and you gave him your panties but yet you don't know if you're a thing. I'm curious though, does he always have a condom by his front door?"

Blushing she bit her lip, "we may not have used one and it may have been the best sex ever but seriously I don't know what to do now, do I wait for him to come to me or do I go to him?"

Listening to her friend talk Kayleigh was grinning widely, "well the move has certainly changed you but you must really want and trust him to let him not use anything."

"I do, I really do. So tell me, what should I do?"

She wanted to give her all of the answers but she didn't have any, "I don't know, I mean he has already said once that what happened between you couldn't happen again and it just did so I guess there is a chance he could do it all over again."

Cutting her friend off Stephanie refused to think about that, "no, no way, he won't do that to me. He said he was pining over me, he made the first move so there is no way he will end this again."

Deciding to just go along with it she said, "okay you might have a point there so when it comes to the next time I would say let him come to you and if he so happens to take too long then you will just have to make the move on him."

As her eyes locked on her school bag Stephanie groaned, "I hope I won't need to think of excuses to be alone with him but for now I had better go and start on my homework as I haven't done any of it yet."

Laughing she couldn't help but tease her friend a little, "yeah, that's because you were too busy getting your brains fucked out by your hot stud of a gym teacher. If you do need any excuses you always know where he lives now."

Climbing off the bed Stephanie absently began opening tossing books onto her desk, "shut up Kayleigh. I love you and I will talk to you again."

"Pfft, you sure know how to send mixed signals, you love me but you tell me to shut up, how rude. In all seriousness I love you too and if you need anything you know where I am."

The girls said their goodbyes before Stephanie turned her attention to her homework.

Paul ate his dinner staring at her panties laying on top of his bag, he felt like they were mocking him telling him how stupid he was, not only for sleeping with an actual student this time but also trusting her implicitly that she was taking birth control, he could only hope that she wasn't lying to him and she didn't turn up on his doorstep pregnant. Shoving his bag he delighted in the way that and the panties fell to the floor out of his sight so he could finish his dinner in peace.

After dinner he felt like he couldn't be in the house any longer so he went for a drive ending up in front of the gym and despite having eaten already he went to work out, anything to relieve the stress and to forget about how stupid he had been.

When he arrived home from the gym Paul picked up his bag and the panties from his kitchen floor and took them both upstairs placing the panties somewhere on one of the tops in his bedroom before he tossed his bag onto the floor and went to shower to wash away his sins, the smell of sex that seemed to be following him everywhere and torturing him and the sweat from the gym.

Half an hour later he stepped out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist making his way into his bedroom and picking up his phone making sure there were no messages. Stood there with his phone in hand he couldn't help but think back to the fact that one phone call had changed everything and despite everything that he read, everything he said, everything they did, he just couldn't let it happen again as a third time would just be wrong and would probably be the time where they were caught. Scrolling through his contacts he was so grateful that when he had been going through her phone he had saved her number to his phone because when he saw her name he was able to open a message and begin typing:

_Stephanie, what happened today can't happen again. Paul_

It had taken him five attempts but he had finally written an acceptable text and he sent it, he wasn't stupid enough to believe that she would take it well but he couldn't do it to either of them again, Sierra had been wrong when she told him to go after her because it just wasn't going to work out between them.

Stephanie was so focussed on her homework that she didn't care when her phone beeped as she had to get this done. She had just finished and was tidying away when her Dad stuck his head around the door, "hi Dad."

Vince smiled at his daughter, "hello Princess. I was just coming to check on you before I went to bed as your light is still on."

Putting her books back in her bag she smiled, "I was just finishing off my homework and now I am going to crawl into bed and get some sleep before tomorrow."

Stepping into the room Vince hugged his daughter tightly, "make sure that you do get lots of sleep, you need to keep your energy up so you can keep your grades up."

Hugging her Dad back she kissed her cheek, "I know Daddy. I promise I am getting lots of exercise and sleep and eating well just like I should."

Chuckling he kissed the side of his daughter's head, "good girl. Now sleep well and I will see you in the morning."

Shutting her door behind her Dad as he left she crawled into bed grabbing her phone to check for messages before she put it aside for the night. Lighting up the screen she frowned when she saw that she had a text from a number she didn't know, her finger hovered over read and delete but ultimately chose read incase it was a friend who had changed their number but as she read the message she felt her anger rise, how could he say that and do that to her? If he thought she was taking this lying down then he would be sorely mistaken.

Putting her phone on her bedside table she turned her light off and lay down to go to sleep because tomorrow was another day and she was going to get this sorted.


	15. Chapter 15

Stephanie barely slept Thursday night, apart from being angry every time she closed her eyes she saw his face or felt his hands on her body and it was torture.

Her first period on Friday morning was free and she was originally planning to catch up on some sleep but having spent most of the night awake and her body not really seeming like it was going to let her sleep now she decided to get up and go and confront Paul now.

On the other hand Paul slept most of the way through the night only his dreams were all about Stephanie, either he was dreaming about what they had done or what he would like to do to her. When he got up Friday morning he was grateful that his first lesson was a free because as much as he didn't normally drink coffee he was going to drink a lot of it to try and wake him up to get him through the day.

Sat in his office with his third cup of the morning in front of him on the desk he was entirely focussed on the paperwork in front of him. For some stupid reason he had thought it would be a good idea to take the girls to a professional basketball match so they could see how the pros played and got to experience a real match so was going through all sorts of paperwork to try and get it arranged.

Pulling into the parking lot at school Stephanie read the text message from him again and it just made her angry. Getting out of the car she slammed her car door shut and locked it before she stormed across the campus noticing that there didn't seem to be a lesson going on right now so she stormed into his office slamming his door open so hard that the frames on the wall rattled, "What the fuck do you think you are doing?" Unlocking her phone where it was still on his text she thrust it towards him, "What the fuck is the meaning of this bullshit?"

Jumping when the door was slammed open he lifted his head not entirely surprised to see Stephanie stood in front of him although he had hoped that it wouldn't come to this, "Just calm down and we will talk about it like rational adults."

Leaning on the desk she glared at him hissing rather than shouting as the door was still open, "Now you want to talk like rational adults? Where was the rational adult in you when you pinned me against your front door when I was leaving or when you fucked me against it."

Panicked his eyes widened thinking she was about to tell him he forced himself on her. Keeping his voice low he tried to respond reasonably, "If I remember correctly you were begging me to fuck you hard against the front door so don't start bullshitting me claiming it was all me."

Irritated she left her phone on his desk and crossed her arms over her chest glaring at him, "At what point did I say those words or even indicate that I was going to say them?"

Sighing heavily he raked his fingers through his hair and motioned to the door, "Just please shut the door and I promise we can talk."

Turning around she walked over to the door and shut it quietly before she collapsed into the chair in front of his desk, "Start talking."

Watching her as she walked to the door he couldn't help but admire the way she was dressed today, her skirt was tight and short but not too short and as she turned around he noticed that her tank top was equally as tight but it was relatively low cut and if she bent over he would have a delightful view of her breasts. Shaking his head as she sat down he didn't know what had come over him but she was here and they were about to have an argument because he said it couldn't happen again and he was ogling her like some pervert, "I made myself perfectly clear in the text, you were the one who came storming in here irate."

Shifting in her seat she sat up a little, "Can you blame me for being pissed off? You went from fucking me again to telling me for the second time that nothing can happen between us. Paul these mixed signals are not fair. What changed between a few weeks ago and last night and what changed in the few hours after I left before you sent this text?"

He felt bad for this but he had to lie to her for both of their sakes, "Nothing had changed, it was a moment of weakness. I shouldn't have done what I did last night and we most certainly shouldn't let it happen between us again."

Surprising herself she was managing to remain calm and act like an adult but she had one burning question, "Do you regret it?"

The question took him by surprise, he hadn't expected her to ask that but in hindsight he should have expected it because she was a teenage girl and that was a natural question for her to ask. Taking a deep breath he tried to give her an answer to satisfy her without having to actually say he regretted it because for one he didn't and for another he was pretty sure that that would be the worst thing he could ever possibly say to her or anybody, "It isn't about regretting it, it is about what is morally the right thing to do and continuing this is not it. If we were to get caught then not only would I lose my job and end up in jail but you would be the girl who got taken advantage of by her gym teacher and believe me you do not want that stigma attached to you."

"So you only care about going to jail?"

"No, I only care about what it will do to you and your future."

Bending forward she scratched the bottom of her leg as it was itching but as she bent forward she swore she heard him groan. Slowly sitting back up the way he was staring at her sent a shiver down her spine and it made her believe that she may have heard him groan as she was fully aware of the view he probably got as that was why she picked this top because she had wanted him to want her. Everything he had said and the way he was being got her mind racing as she thought about what Kayleigh had said because it didn't look like she was going to win this battle with him, "So you are saying that you never wanted there to be an us?"

Hearing her ask that question and the almost pained look on her face did hurt his heart a little, "Stephanie please."

"Don't 'Stephanie please' me, it is one question."

Resting his arms on the desk he leant forward a little, "Tell me what you are going to do with the information and then I will see if I will answer it for you."

Confused she raised her eyebrow, "What I will do with it? Nothing, I need to know for my peace of mind. Nobody knows anything now and they won't know anything then."

Almost against his better judgement he decided to just be honest with her, "Before you were my student I absolutely wanted there to be an us. There was never any question about how I felt about you or my behaviour around you on that very first night but then reality has kicked in and what I want or wanted doesn't matter, it is what is best."

As her phone vibrated on the desk they remained silently staring at each other as they both processed what he had said in their own way.

He knew immediately that he had given too much away and had been entirely too honest with her but the one thing he was grateful for was her age and her lack of confidence and experience because so far he had been the only one to make the actual physical moves on the other so even though he had said too much the worst she was going to do was tease him by maybe wearing some more provocative clothes but he was confident he could deal with that as it was only two hours per week that he taught her.

Ignoring her phone and locking gaze with him as he finished talking she had a lot to think about and process. As her phone vibrated again to remind her that she had received a text she broke from her haze and stood up, "I should go, I have class soon."

Grabbing her phone from the desk she turned and walked towards the door bending over to grab her bag where she had just dumped it on the floor before she left she was so spaced out she didn't hear him groan as she bent over in front of him again before she left his office.

Watching her intently to make sure she wasn't going to make any moves on him and was actually leaving he felt like he was being punished by some higher power as she seemed to flaunt her incredible body in front of him at every opportunity. The second she left his office was not a moment too soon for him as his willpower was wavering the more they stayed alone but he was proud of himself that he had kept things professional and hadn't acted on anything he was feeling today.

Walking out of the gym Stephanie made her way to a quiet part of campus and took a seat on the ground only then allowing herself the time to look at phone sighing heavily when she saw it was from Kayleigh:

_So how are you feeling the morning after the night before? Are you even able to make it into school? LOL_

Sighing heavily she didn't even know how to really answer that because physically she felt fine but now he was just stomping all over her heart by denying everything. Deciding to just get it over with she just told her the truth:

_I'm fine physically but now he is saying it can't happen again but I'm sure it isn't how he really feels because when I bent over he groaned and the way he was looking at me didn't match the words coming out of his mouth. He did refuse to say he regretted last night or the other night though._

Looking at her watch she only had another ten or so minutes before her first class so she needed to think about going to it but right now she was just trying to work Paul out and work out how she could possibly deal with the mess that was her life and feelings.

Getting up from her seat she decided to just make her way to the across campus to her class pausing briefly when her phone vibrated again as she had a new text from Kayleigh:

_He can't keep playing these games with u, u need to put an end to them once &amp; for all. To end them you need to decide if you want to risk it all or give him up._

For Stephanie that was the worst advice she had ever been given:

_Thanks for nothing Leigh, worst advice ever._

Surprisingly she got an incredibly quick response from her best friend:

I w_asn't trying to give you bad advice but until you decide which you want then we can't plan how to make it happen._

Sliding her phone into her pocket Stephanie thought about what Kayleigh said as she made her way to class, today was going to be a long day but at least it was Friday.

After she had left his office Paul sat there in a daze, if what he had just done was the right thing to do why did it feel so wrong? Why was he willing to risk throwing his entire career and his life away for a woman that he barely knew and had had sex with two times? Rubbing his hands on his face wearily he hated his life and his job right now.


	16. Chapter 16

Two and a half weeks had passed since Stephanie had sat down and had that conversation with Paul after their second time of sleeping together. The two of them had managed to keep their distance from each other physically but that didn't mean that every time Paul had seen her he hadn't wanted to wrap his arms around her and make up for lost time.

Stephanie had given up being entirely conservative in what she wore in gym class because none of the other girls were, in her opinion some of the girls outfits were more suited to a strip club than a gym class and she refused to go that far but she certainly wore shorter shorts and tighter tops these days.

It was Monday morning the week of her birthday and she had decided as she was turning eighteen this week she would dress sexier making her feel more grown up and for gym today she was wearing a pair of short shorts that she had just bought and when she put them on they were actually shorter than she expected and barely covered her ass which was teamed with a sports top that showed off her toned stomach. All of the other girls were talking about their weekend so Stephanie decided to just go and warm up in the gym whilst she would be alone and nobody could make fun of her short shorts so she left the locker room and began stretching in the empty gym as Paul was nowhere to be found.

Walking out of his office Paul could hear all of the chatter in the locker room as he walked into the gym the last thing he was expecting to see as he walked into the gym was someone bent over in front of him with their ass practically on show. Normally he would immediately look away but he found himself drawn to her and he found himself pausing in the doorway just watching them stretch.

Feeling eyes on her she figured the girls were behind her making fun of her short shorts so she stood up and twisted around to say something when her eyes locked with Paul's the realisation hit her, he had been staring at her. Not saying a word she just turned back facing the front and went back to her stretching.

He knew that she knew that he had been staring at her and he found himself not caring about anything right at that moment. Picking up the cones he checked that all of the girls were still in the locker room before he walked over to her not even really needing to be there but his legs had just carried him there. Standing almost directly behind her he couldn't help himself and slid his hand beneath the back of her shorts touching her ass, quickly removing his hand again he whispered 'sorry' before he hurried off to start setting up.

She was trying to focus on stretching and ignoring the voice in the back of her head saying that she should make a move as he wanted her when she felt a presence behind her, thinking nothing of it because he did have to set up she wasn't worried but when she felt his hand slide up the bottom of her shorts touching her ass and hearing his whispered apology pissed her off. He had no rights to touch her and to be 'sorry' for it when he was the one that had said that they couldn't do anything again and at the first opportunity he had he touched her in a place a teacher shouldn't. Finishing stretching she stood there with her hands on her hips as the other girls came out and began stretching not hiding her anger at his behaviour.

As the rest of the girls finally came out of the locker room he turned to see them all beginning to stretch and Stephanie stood there with her hands on her hips looking so sexy . . . wait, he meant angry, he really meant angry and not sexy. The conversation he was having with himself in his head was making him feel like he was going crazy and he was beginning to think that it was true that he was. Placing the last cone on the floor he tried to ignore Stephanie and began explaining today's lesson as the rest of the girls stretched.

Stephanie didn't mean to but she found her anger at Paul's behaviour resulted in her being slightly disobedient and not listening to what he was saying which some of the girls got a kick out of but which pissed Paul off no end.

He had cut her a lot more slack than he should have but after what felt like the millionth time of her being slow or just straight out disobeying him he had to put his foot down, "Stephanie you need to stay behind after class, I need a word with you."

All of the other girls hooted and hollared making jokes about him wanting to get Stephanie alone which pissed Stephanie off even more than she already was and she snapped at them, "Shut up. Stop acting like children that only think about sex and act like the adults that you are meant to be becoming."

Before an argument kicked off Paul stepped in, "Enough. Let's get back to the lesson or I will just put you all in detention and be done with it."

When class ended the rest of the girls went to change whilst Paul hung around in the gym watching as Stephanie hung back a little before she walked over to join him, "What the hell is wrong with you?"

Glaring at him she crossed her arms, "What is wrong with **me**?! I think you'll find that you need to be asking yourself that question because I wasn't the one that said that things needed to be kept professional and then slid my hand up the bottom of your shorts touching your ass."

As he listened to her talk he knew she had a point and he couldn't argue with her but she couldn't be acting like she was, "I apologised immediately for what I did, I know I shouldn't have done that and I am sorry, it was just those shorts and the way you were bent over and the way your ass looked . . ." Cutting himself off before he got himself into even deeper trouble he simply said, "I'm sorry."

She was hoping that he had had a change of heart but listening to him talk she knew he hadn't, "Fine whatever. I promise if from now on you keep your hands to yourself unless you are willing to be a man about it all that I will be good and will do as you ask in class."

Nodding his head he was definitely going to try and keep himself in check from now on, "I promise I will be good, it will not ever happen again."

"Then I will do as I am told in class." Not letting him say another word she spun around and headed for the locker room to change and get out of there.

Unsurprisingly when she walked into the locker room the conversations stopped and everyone's attention was on her, "What?"

"What did he say? Are you in trouble?"

Shaking her head she rolled her eyes, "Nope, no trouble at all. He told me to be better behaved or some shit otherwise I'll be in detention." Quickly changing she was looking forward to getting out of there.

Belle had silently watched things unfold and she didn't get it as the person in front of her wasn't the Stephanie she had gotten to know, "What's wrong Steph? Got home troubles? I mean you're being a total bitch today."

The last thing she needed was for people to be prying into the real reason so she just blurted out the first thing that came to mind, "I am eighteen on Wednesday and I'm not getting to celebrate properly."

"What? Why? Why didn't you tell us it was your birthday this week?"

Shrugging her shoulders she just had to bluff her way through it, "I'm new here, I didn't want you to think I was just looking for fake friends for my birthday. My best friend in the whole entire universe was supposed to be coming up for the weekend to celebrate with me and my brother is supposed to be coming home from college for the weekend and she can't come and he might not be able to come so I'm just a bit pissy about my birthday. I'm sorry for taking it out on all of you." It was true that Shane was supposed to be coming home and he might not be able to now but the Kayleigh thing was a massive lie.

Belle frowned and the wheels immediately started turning in her mind about how they could make it better for her, "Well we know you aren't looking for fake friends but we're your real friends anyway so you're stuck with us."

Smiling softly at Belle she picked up her bag and took Belle's offered arm as she led her out of the locker room, "So you're going to be the first of us group of girls to turn eighteen on Wednesday, you're so lucky that you get to do so many more things then."

She couldn't help but laugh at that comment as they walked out of the gym, "But yet there are so many things that I would like to do but can't."

Paul stood watching all of the girls leaving making sure there were no problems when he saw Belle and Stephanie leaving and he heard Belle talking about Stephanie turning eighteen on Wednesday which tortured him that little bit more, she was properly legal in just two days and he still couldn't have her, "Fuck my life."

The rest of the day passed a little too slowly for Stephanie's liking as she was desperate to get home as she really wanted to talk things through with Kayleigh as she had been her rock and had been helping her plan things out. Walking through the front door she threw her bag on the floor and sent Kayleigh a text:

_When you're free I have gossip so call me._

Walking into the kitchen she put her phone on the table so she could grab the milk from the fridge before she grabbed some cookies to enjoy an afternoon snack, dunking the cookies in milk was always her go to comfort food when she was feeling stressed.

Sat at the kitchen table she was just dunking her first cookie when her phone began to ring and she saw it was Kayleigh's, "Hey girl."

When Kayleigh got the text she didn't wait a second to call her, "Hi gorgeous. So what is this gossip you have? Why do I have a feeling it's about him?"

Biting off the soaked part of the cookie she chewed and swallowed it placing the rest of it back on the plate, "Because you know I only have gossip about him. So I bought some new shorts for gym, they were shorter than I normally buy but only because I want to be more grown up but it turns out they were like really short booty shorts. The shorts made me nervous so I went to stretch whilst the rest of the girls were changing and the gym was empty, anyway I was bent over stretching and I could feel eyes burning into the back of me so I stood up and turned around only for my eyes to lock with his. Completely ignoring him because of what he said I turned back around and went back to finish stretching but the next thing I know I feel a presence behind me and then all of a sudden he slid his hand up the back of my shorts and felt my ass before whispering that he was sorry and then he walked off."

Kayleigh felt like she was listening to some weird romance novel, "I love how he just can't stay away from you, he feels this pull back to you all of the freaking time and just can't help but touch you."

"I don't love it. I was a total bitch to him throughout class, he ended up holding me back after class to find out what was wrong with me and he ended up trying to justify it by digging himself a deeper hole and not finishing his thoughts but we ended up promising that unless he was going to be a man about it he wouldn't touch me again and I wouldn't be a bitch to him during class."

Unable to stop himself Kayleigh snorted at that, "Sure he will. It will last all of a week or maybe two before he finds himself unable to stop himself and is touching you again."

Stephanie felt her anger rising listening to her best friend talk, "You are really not helping me right now, my blood pressure is going through the roof. I am sick and tired of playing this dumb game by his rules that make no sense and which I was not privy to before the game began."

"Then don't play the game by his rules, play it by yours."

Confused and intrigued were just two of the words to describe how Stephanie was currently feeling, "And you propose I do this how?"

Walking into the kitchen Kayleigh grabbed a can of soda from the fridge, "Simple. We have spent like three weeks planning different ways to get what you want so use one of them and I know exactly what one. Did you buy that stuff we talked about?"

She knew exactly what idea she was talking about and she panicked a little, "I thought that was just a crazy idea we made up that there was no way it would possibly be used. I actually did buy it though, when I went into the shop I told the assistant I wanted to surprise my boyfriend with something and she helped me pick out the perfect stuff that I know he won't be able to resist, well I hope."

"You say you thought the idea wasn't real but you still bought the items you needed for it so clearly you wanted it to be this idea. I think you should do it, don't sit around waiting for him to decide he can't stay away from you again and he finds a way to touch you or whatever when the lust gets too much, force his hand. It is pretty obvious to anybody who hears the story that he wants you but he is afraid of the outcome if the two of you get caught so show him that you don't care, that you want him as much as he wants you."

Gulping it sounded good on paper but actually following through was another matter, "I'm not sure that I am brave enough to do that."

As much as she loved her friend there was only so many times she could listen to the same story being repeated over and over in different ways before she would be forced to make the move for the both of them, "You know I love you like a sister so I am saying this with love but if you don't make the move I don't want to listen to you complain about him. It is pretty obvious he currently doesn't have the nerve to take the leap of the cliff that he is currently stood on the edge of so he just needs a gentle nudge to push him off the edge and this plan is that nudge. If at the end of the day it doesn't work out he is not going to tell anybody so it will remain between the two of you but doing this should force him to stop torturing you anyway."

She didn't want to admit that Kayleigh was right but the truth was that she actually was, "You're right I guess. When should I do this?"

"Whenever it feels right but I would say make sure you have an excuse ready for your parents and maybe have some extra clothes in your car just incase."

Grumbling lowly Stephanie pouted, "You are meant to have **all **of the answers and not just some of them."

Smirking a little she couldn't help but feel somewhat amused at how much Stephanie was panicking about it, "Just relax, you will know when the right time is and it will all be worth it."

As she listened to her friend she knew she was right and she knew she needed to stop thinking and stop panicking and just go with it, "You are right, you are so right. Thank you Kayleigh, I will let you know how it all goes but we will still talk about other stuff to get my mind off of that and him."

The girls changed the subject and stayed on the phone for another hour before they both had to go and do their homework.


	17. Chapter 17

It was the morning of her birthday and when Stephanie woke up and checked her phone she immediately smiled seeing the goofy text from Kayleigh wishing her Happy Birthday. Leaving her phone on the side to reply to the text in a minute she immediately jumped into the shower washing her hair before she got out and got ready for the day.

Walking down the stairs she entered the kitchen surprised to see her parent's still there, "You're still here?"

Linda immediately jumped up from her chair and went and hugged her daughter, "Of course we are. Happy Birthday baby."

Hugging her Mom she smiled, it was nice having them here for her birthday breakfast when they weren't here a lot these days, "Does this mean you won't be home for dinner?"

"Of course not dear. We probably won't be home until seven though as we have a late afternoon meeting with a client but we thought we would have take out anyway so it won't matter. What do you think?"

Smiling and nodding she was surprised by the fuss that they were making of her, "I would love that, thank you."

Vince motioned to the table, "Come and have a seat and enjoy the pancakes, they're delicious."

Smacking her husband in the shoulder Linda rolled her eyes, "He couldn't wait for you to come down, he just had to sample them."

Smiling innocently at his wife he winked at his daughter, "What? I was hungry."

Laughing Stephanie took a seat at the table, this day was starting so perfectly, she couldn't have been happier.

When she left for school Stephanie felt like the day was only missing one thing but she wasn't going to dwell on that and was going to try and enjoy it for what it was.

Lunchtime rolled around and she was sat at the table with Belle and a group of other girls with the main topic of conversation being eighteenth birthdays and what they wanted to do for their birthday but Stephanie was mainly zoned out of the conversation playing with her food. Her attention was drawn back to the conversation when she heard one of the girls say, "I can't wait to be eighteen. The day I turn eighteen I am going to hit on Mr Levesque so much that he won't know what has hit him, I can't wait to feel what he is packing beneath those track pants."

Feeling jealousy take over she bit her tongue and picked up her phone sending her best friend a text:

_It will be today._

Sending the text she jumped nearly dropping the phone in surprise as it immediately began ringing. Rolling her eyes when she saw her Mom's name she moved away from the table to take the phone call in peace only answering the call as she exited the canteen, "Hi Mom."

The minute she heard her daughter's voice Linda felt guilty, "I have some bad news Steph. Whereas your Dad and I had planned to be home by seven tonight with take out for dinner it looks like you will have to order yourself some take out for dinner as the client is insisting that we go out to dinner with him after the meeting. I have tried explaining to him how important it is that we are home as it is your eighteenth birthday but he just won't take no for an answer although he offered that you could come to dinner too if you wished but I didn't think you would want to however you can if you wish."

Sighing heavily Stephanie should have known it was too good to be true that her parent's would be around for her birthday, "No it's alright thanks, I'll sort dinner out for myself. What time do you think you'll be home now?"

Relaxing back in her chair this was going a lot better than she thought it would, "Probably not until at least nine, I have a feeling he is going to make it a long night. I'm really sorry Stephanie."

She didn't know what she was meant to say to this as part of her was sad but there was a bigger part of her that was happy and relieved as she had all evening to put her plan into action with Paul now, "It's fine, don't worry. We were going to do a big family dinner thing on Friday night when Shane hopefully gets home so it doesn't matter, I'll just call Kayleigh or hang out with friends or something."

"Thank you for being so understanding Stephanie, we will make it up to you."

Rolling her eyes she didn't want money, she want time with them or simply to have Paul but hopefully she was going to make the latter happen herself later today, "Whatever. I'd better get back to my lunch so I'll see you tonight or tomorrow or whatever. Bye Mom."

"Bye Steph."

Hanging up the phone she walked back into the dining room reading the text that she had received from Kayleigh whilst she was on the phone:

_What about your parents? Won't they want to spend your birthday with you?_

_My Mum just called, they have to go out to dinner with a client and aren't expecting to be back until at least 9._

Sitting back at the table she began eating her lunch again wanting to make sure she had a lot of energy for later.

The conversation between the girls at the table was completely ignored as she focussed on her lunch and her phone as Kayleigh texted her again:

_Send me a text of what you're wearing, I want to know what you bought for him._

Biting her lip Stephanie was anxious the moment that her outfit was mentioned:

_Oh God, I'm nervous now. You'll have to be honest with me, I need honesty before I turn up on his doorstep._

She was drawn back to the conversation when one of the girls spoke directly to her, "So tell us Stephanie, do you think Paul has a girlfriend? Do you think he would fuck all of us or just one?"

Resisting the urge to jump across the table and beat the girl up she composed herself, "I think Paul is a lot classier than doing something like that so he probably wouldn't fuck any of you."

The girl frowned a little taken aback by the response, "Wow, no need to be a bitch about it."

"Sorry, I just don't think it is productive to talk about stuff like that when it is so obviously never going to happen as a teacher can't do that with a student. It is one thing to look and stare and drool over him but to say when you're eighteen he will sleep with you, not you specifically, is a pointless exercise. I was just trying to get people to be more realistic."

As they all listened to Stephanie talk some of the girls actually sided with her, "She's right. We shouldn't be having this conversation."

Standing up Stephanie gathered her dishes together, "I've got something to do before class so I'll catch up with you all in a bit."

Walking off she dumped her dirty dishes off before she headed outside for some peace and sat down to finish her conversation with Kayleigh.

When the school day ended Stephanie said goodbye to the girls telling them she had to go home as she had this big family thing tonight with her parents and they would kill her if she was late but she would see them all tomorrow. Leaving school and heading home she was so nervous she felt like she was going to throw up, this could blow up in her face so badly but she just couldn't live her life the way it had been going when it came to Paul and she needed to fix it one way or the other.

Entering the house she shut the front door behind her before she ran up the stairs and dropped her school bag in the corner of the room before she opened her closet digging through her clothes until she got to the back pulling out the bag that she had hidden there and slipping the coat off the hanger on the rail before she went back into her room and dumped the coat on the bed before she tipped the items in the bag out ready to get changed.

Pacing back and forth in front of her bed she wanted to change but she was really nervous about it and was close to just bottling out when her phone beeped. Picking the phone up from the bed she stared at the text from Kayleigh:

_Don't give up, you know you want to do this and you NEED to do it so believe in yourself and go for it._

Shaking her head she wondered if she had picked up mind reading skills since they had been apart:

_How did you do that? How did you know I was doubting myself._

The response came within a minute of her sending the text:

_Because I am your best friend. Stop stressing and start changing, you need all of the time you can get._

Throwing her phone onto the bed Stephanie just took the plunge and stripped herself naked before she pulled on the lingerie set and stood in front of the mirror looking herself up and down, she felt so self conscious but if she was going to get him to give in to his feelings then she was going to have to put all of herself out there.

Walking back over to the bed she picked up her coat and pulled it on leaving it hanging open before she grabbed her phone and walked back to the mirror taking a picture of herself and sent it to Kayleigh:

_So what do you think? Do you think he'll like this?_

Sitting down on the edge of her bed she anxiously waited for the response from her best friend and when her phone beeped she looked at it first through squinted eyes not really sure if she wanted to read it or not:

_I *love* it and so will he. You look so sexy that if I were him I'd totally be all over you like a rash._

Giggling Stephanie stood up and walked to her closet grabbing a pair of heels and slipped them on before she did the coat up so he wouldn't know what was or wasn't beneath it as it came to the middle of her thigh so she could be wearing shorts or a short skirt beneath it and he wouldn't know.

Slipping her phone into her pocket Stephanie walked over to her dressing table and applied some light make-up not wanting it to look like she was on his doorstep for anything other than to talk otherwise he wouldn't let her in.

After applying the make-up and brushing her hair she thought about what Kayleigh had said and quickly grabbed a pair of short and a t-shirt from her drawers before she made her way down the stairs and out to her car to go and see if he would 'talk' to her.

Paul arrived home from work with Stephanie on his mind, ever since he had overheard her talking to Belle about today being her eighteenth birthday he just couldn't stop thinking about that and about her, it really shouldn't change anything between them but it just made things so much harder for him to resist her.

Throwing some laundry in the machine he started going through cupboards looking to see what he fancied for dinner but abandoned his search after a few minutes as he found himself to not be hungry and couldn't be bothered to think about it.

Deciding to go and sit on the couch for half an hour to relax and to try to not think about Stephanie before he did his dinner he made his way into the lounge quickly going through the mail on the side before he went to take on the couch. Just as he was about to collapse on the couch the doorbell rang and he wasn't sure whether to smack the person or hug them for the interruption but he would decide which one as soon as he knew who it was.

Making his way to the front door he pulled it open fully expecting to see a door-to-door salesman but what he did see made him begin to question his sanity, "What is going on?"


	18. Chapter 18

As a warning there are a few mature situations in this chapter.

* * *

Stephanie had sat outside of his house for a few minutes before she had plucked up the courage to get out of the car and walk to his front door. Knocking on the door she stood there and waited for him to answer but when he did it wasn't quite the reaction that she had expected.

"What is going on?"

Looking around herself nervously she bit down on her lip as she looked back at him, "Can we talk please?"

Seeing her stood there in front of him she looked odd in a raincoat but then he looked at the sky and it didn't look promising and they had forecast rain so maybe she was just being smart. Running his fingers through his hair she was actually sending him crazy as normally he didn't care what anyone wore when they turned up on his doorstep, "Why are you here? Couldn't you talk to me earlier?"

Her eyes widened in surprise, she didn't think she would be met with such hostility, "I'm sorry, I just thought that we shouldn't have this conversation there." Suddenly feeling bold she decided to go low, "If you would prefer I can come by your office tomorrow and we can discuss our relationship there then I will do that."

Well now he was between a rock and a hard place but he was going to try and get himself out of it, "Why do we need to discuss it? I thought that we had said all that needed to be said?"

Wrapping her arms around herself protectively she could physically feel her stomach churning, "Maybe you said all you wanted to say but I didn't get to say anything I really wanted to say and I feel it is only fair you answer some of my questions."

"Why today?"

"Why not? If you don't want to do this here just tell me and I'll come to your office tomorrow."

Stepping back he motioned her inside, "No it's fine, it's better we do this here in my home than at school. The lounge is the first door on the left so go and take a seat."

Entering the house she slowly walked past him and entered the lounge stood with her back to the door just looking around taking in the room and making sure that you couldn't see anything through the window.

As she walked past him he couldn't help but stare at her body before quickly shaking his head to get those thoughts and those images out of it. Shutting the door firmly he locked it and followed her into the lounge surprised to see her still stood up, "You can take a seat if you want, if you would prefer to stand that's okay also. You might be quite warm in that coat so I don't know if you want to take it off and I will hang it up for you a minute."

When she heard him offer to take her coat it was just too easy, he had walked right into the trap she had set for him and now she just had to get the confidence to take her coat off. After a brief moment of silence she nodded her head, "Thank you, I appreciate that." Her hands went to the belt of the coat to undo that before she undid the buttons keeping her back to him the entire time.

As soon as the buttons were undone she shrugged the coat off her shoulders slowly letting it fall down her arms until she removed one hand from the arm slowly turning around to face him and holding it out to him, "Thank you."

Stood behind her he watched as she began to shrug off the coat, he couldn't move his eyes from watching it as it travelled slowly down her arms exposing the straps of the top that she was wearing but as it got lower he noticed that the top was no longer than a bra which was going to torture him as he got a frontal view. Watching the coat as it got lower down her arms until she removed one arm exposing all of her back to him he thought he would just get a cheeky view of her from behind whilst she wasn't focussed on him but he got the surprise of his life when he saw that she literally had nothing but a thong on her bottom half. When she turned around and offered him her coat he stood there kind of dumbly for a moment before he said, "Where are your clothes?"

Dropping her coat onto the chair beside her she noticed that he wasn't exactly rushing to get her covered up, "At home."

"Why? What possessed you to come over here in nothing but some . . ." Pausing he actually looked her up and down and immediately wished he hadn't, ". . . Nothing but some sexy lingerie. I thought you wanted to talk to me and this does not look like talking."

Not sure why he was so angry when he was the one that started this mess, "You seem to respond to me in very little clothing so I thought you might appreciate the view."

Exactly what was going on right now was a mystery to him but he looked her deep in her eyes, "I told you I was sorry about Monday and it won't happen again."

"But maybe I want it to happen again, maybe I want it to happen over and over again, maybe I dream of the way your hands feel on my body and how much I enjoy it."

Fisting his hands in his hair that was the last thing he needed to hear from her, "Stephanie please let's not talk about it, this isn't going to help ei . . . you."

Sick of going around in circles with him she reached behind herself and unhooked her bra and pulled it off dropping it on top of her coat on the chair beside her, "Do you know what day today is?"

"Your birthday? Yeah I know, I heard you talking with Belle about it as you left the gym on Monday. What does this have to do with anything?"

Taking a deep breath she just wanted him, she didn't want to have to fight or go around in circles with him, "If you had asked me two months ago what I wanted for my birthday I would have told you I wanted to move back to Florida but then I met you. If you were to ask me today what I want for my birthday what do you think I would say?"

Staring past her he could not look at her face or her body because he would give in to whatever it was she wanted and he needed to remain strong, "I don't know, me to fuck you?"

Shaking her head she couldn't believe that he thought that was all she cared about, "No, you're wrong. If you were to ask me today what I want for my birthday I would say for you to be my boyfriend. Before you say it I know what you said before, I have heard and understood you but I don't care, if we are really careful about it we can make it work and nobody has to know."

Frowning he shook his head, "But we won't be able to make it work because there is no way you will be able to keep it quiet from your friends that you are seeing someone and eventually it will come out that it is me."

Rolling her eyes she spread her legs shoulder width apart and put her hands on her hips, "Thanks for believing in me. For your information they're not my friends, they're just some people to hang out with in school so I am not alone, when I go home at the end of the day I don't see them or speak to them very often. Also, just so you know I saved your ass today. At lunch the girls were talking about how at eighteen they were going to start hitting on you to see what you are 'packing beneath the track pants' and I essentially told them that you won't sleep with one of them risking them not talking to me again for being a bitch."

Why was she being so sweet and making things so hard for him? Why couldn't she just be awkward and a bitch and just cement in his mind why they couldn't go anywhere with what they had between them, "Thank you for that but it doesn't change anything, it's just not like that between us."

The fact that he was staring over her shoulder and not at her face told her that the words he was speaking were not what he was feeling which had become a pattern for him. Walking closer to him she placed her hand on his chest, "And how about you look me in the eye and tell me that and mean it?"

Not moving his gaze from the wall he had to stay strong, "And how about you listen to the words coming out of my mouth and just do as I ask and back off?"

A little taken back but what he said she was torn between doing exactly as he asked and getting what she wanted when an idea hit her, "Okay fine then. If it's 'just not like that' between us why don't you prove it. If you can look me up an down from head to toe and tell me that you don't want there to be a relationship between us then I will back off completely and move on leaving you alone and if you can't . . . well that will be up to you."

His eyes slipped closed as he thought about the fact that she was topless and only wearing a thong but he could control himself for thirty seconds to look at her body committing it all to memory before he then lied to her face if it meant that she would back off forever, "You have yourself a deal."

When his eyes slipped closed she took that as her opportunity and she removed her hand from his chest and quickly grabbed the sides of her thong pulling it down far enough that it would fall to her feet so she could kick it off just before he opened his eyes again, "I will take three steps back and then I expect you to actually look at me."

"I will I promise."

Both of them took deep anxious breaths but for different reasons as she took the three steps back away from him standing there with her hands on her hips as she watched his face waiting for him to actually look at her.

Giving himself a moment to focus on looking at her but not actually seeing her he then moved his gaze to her face before his eyes travelled lower almost skipping over her breasts before he focussed on her toned stomach and his gaze dropped lower expecting to see her thong but all he saw was skin and immediately he closed his eyes, he couldn't do this, he couldn't keep lying to her and himself.

She noticed how he closed his eyes and now he wasn't saying anything or moving and she wasn't sure what that meant, if anything at all, "Paul?"

Paul was torn, he wanted to go over there and just wrap her up in his arms and smother her with kisses but the sensible part of his brain told him to leave the room and just lock himself away until she left or he could control himself and he didn't know what to do, "Yes?"

Tentatively taking a step closer to him she all but whispered, "So what is the verdict?"

Opening his eyes he immediately connected his gaze to hers and seeing the vulnerability in her eyes and the way she was looking at him he knew he was done. Stepping closer to her he whispered, "So what would be the best birthday present you could possibly get?"

There was something in his eyes that she couldn't read, she didn't know where he was going with the questioning but decided to be brutally honest with him, "The completely x-rated version would be that we lay down on that couch together and you fucked me but only after you told me that you wanted me to be your girlfriend."

"I want you to be my girlfriend, I want to be your boyfriend **but**, and it is a big but, we wouldn't be able to have a normal relationship, we wouldn't be able to go out to dinner or the movies often, a lot of our relationship would be conducted behind the door in this house and I don't want to expect something like that from you."

Hearing him say that he wanted them to be together made her feel on cloud nine, "And if I told you that I didn't care? There is so much that we can do in the house that it doesn't matter to me if we can't go out, I would rather stay home and just be with you than go out and show off anyway."

Looking in her eyes he couldn't believe she was just eighteen as she was so much more mature than a lot of older people that he had met but he had to be sure, "So you promise that you aren't going to tell anybody about us?"

Nodding her head she rested her hands on his chest, "I promise you that nobody in the Connecticut zip code area will ever find out from my lips that we are together."

Realising that this was it, that they were really going to try this he couldn't help but smile knowing that he wasn't going to have to dream of her any longer as he was going to experience it all he rested his forehead on hers, "So I guess I am a pretty shitty boyfriend as I haven't bought my girlfriend a birthday present."

Sliding her hands up and around his neck she blushed at the fact that he cared so much about her birthday, "Well there is still a chance for you to give me the best birthday present."

Stroking her cheek with his thumb he thought she looked so adorable and sexy right now, "There is? Incase your tastes have changed help a guy out here please, I don't want to start this off on the wrong foot by giving you the worst birthday present ever."

Tilting her head closer towards his hand she looked deep in his eyes wanting to see his face as she said this, "You could fuck me like a man."

His eyes widened at the suggestion, "You what?"

"Fuck me like a man as my birthday present. I know we have done it twice before but this is different."

He wasn't entirely sure what she meant by 'like a man' but even so hearing her say it was sexy as hell. Moving his head closer to hers he leant his forehead on hers again as his hands moved to her waist holding her, "So fucking sexy."

Capturing her lips in a heated kiss his hands immediately started roaming up and down her sides before he moved them between their bodies covering her breasts with his hands smirking as the touch caused her to moan allowing him the chance to slip his tongue into her mouth kissing her deeper.

She had never been called sexy by a boyfriend before and she definitely didn't mind it when it was followed by such a heated kiss and hands roaming her body but when his hands covered her breasts she realised that anything he could do she could do better so she slipped her hand between them and covered his crotch through his pants surprised when she felt that he was already slightly hard which caused her to moan all over again.

Pulling back slowly from the kiss he removed her hand from his crotch, "Nuh uh, no you don't. If I am going to 'fuck you like a man' then you must keep your hands to yourself unless otherwise instructed."

Pouting her eyes widened, "No, you can't do that, that's not fair."

Stripping his shirt off he nodded his head, "I can if I want to give you the best present. I need you to trust me and let me do this, can you do that?"

Unable to keep her eyes off his now bare chest she nodded her head, "I can try."

Taking her hand he led her over to the couch, "Take a seat."

She wasn't sure why or what he was doing she blindly followed his instructions and took a seat on the couch as she had asked for this.

As soon as she was seated he took a step back and slowly pulled down his track pants and underwear before he kicked them off and moved back to the couch as she stared at him clearly unsure of where to actually look as her eyes darted up and down his body. Grasping her chin gently between his fingers he tilted her head back and captured her lips in a heated kiss smiling against her lips as she wrapped her arms around his neck as he slipped his hand from her chin to behind her head and his other hand behind her back and he lay her back on the couch and climbed on top of her.

Closing her eyes as he laid her back she swung her legs up onto the couch making his life easier whimpering softly as she felt him climb on top of him, she was so hot right now she could scream and when he started trailing his kisses from her lips down her neck to her chest she arched her back wanting his hands and lips all over her, "Paul, so hot."

Lifting his head from his mission to make her feel incredible when she said she was hot he loved the look on her face, "Just lay there and let me fuck you like a man would." His mouth went back to the path he was making down her chest until he sucked one nipple into his mouth lavishing it with his tongue as his hand worked on her other breast before he switched by which point Stephanie was writhing and moaning beneath him on the couch and he wasn't sure exactly how much more he could take himself.

The attention was amazing but she was dying and she couldn't take any more as his mouth worked wonders on her breasts so she gently fisted her hand in his hair and pulled on it, "Please stop before you kill me. Paul I need you right now."

Lifting his head to prevent the pressure on his scalp he gently removed her hand from his hair and without saying a word he stood up off the couch.

Before he could make his next move she was scrambling to sit up looking panicked because she thought she had said something wrong, "Paul, please come back."

Smiling devilishly at her he leant up and pressed a quick kiss to her lips before he gently took hold of her ankles and pulled her back down on the couch so she was laying down before he spread her legs and climbed back onto the couch between them, "I'm right here beautiful."

Breathing a sigh of relief she wrapped her arms around his neck arching her back to press a soft kiss to the side of his mouth before he lined himself up with her opening and pushed inside without warning causing a small scream to pass her lips as her back arched further, "Oh fuck."

"You okay?"

His concern was touching but she didn't need concern right now, "Fine, just remember this is my birthday present."

Laughing he bent his arms and rested on his elbows so his face could be so close to hers, "You are so fucking sexy and I don't think you know it. Do whatever makes you feel comfortable and happy okay?"

"No more talking, only moans are allowed."

His laughter was smothered by the searing kiss she pressed to his lips as he began to move his hips building up a rhythm to give her exactly what she wanted.

Closing her eyes she focussed entirely on how he was making her feel and soon her legs were wrapped around his waist and her hips were moving against his driving him harder and deeper inside of her and the only sounds that could be heard was the moans and skin slapping as they both got closer and closer to their orgasms.

He knew he wouldn't last much longer so he slipped his hand between them searching out her clit as he rested his head on her shoulder driving his hips a little faster and harder searching for release as he felt her entire body tighten around him until she screamed out in pleasure forcing his own release out of him.

Keeping her legs wrapped tightly around his waist even after they had both released she didn't want him to move because memories of the previous two times came back to haunt her even though he had said they were boyfriend and girlfriend now.

Exhausted he wanted to move so he didn't crush her but she had him in a vice grip, "Steph, let me go so I can move and not crush you please."

Shaking her head she just wrapped her arms around his neck and held on even tighter.

Women made his head hurt and right now he was confused by her behaviour so he did the only thing he could think of and slipped his hands beneath her back and picked her up and turned them both over so he was beneath her and he lay down on the couch and allowed her to lie on his chest, "Happy?"

Not trusting her voice right now she just nodded her head against his chest and buried her face in his neck, they would have to talk about this but not right now.


	19. Chapter 19

They had been laying there for a while and her vice like grip on him had not lessened at all, "So what time do you have to be home or are you planning to stay here all night?"

Holding on to him she didn't want to think about leaving because she would leave and then she would see him in class and he would ask her to stay behind and proceed to tell her that it shouldn't have happened.

Receiving nothing but silence he stroked her hair, "Talk to me please, you're starting to scare me."

She was trying so hard not to cry right now despite the tears pooling in her eyes but when he said she was scaring him the tears leaked from her eyes and onto his shoulder.

Feeling the wetness begin to touch his shoulder he moved his hand to her chin gently gripping it and forcing her to lift her head to look at him, "Talk to me Stephanie, please I am begging you to talk to me right now." Moving his hands he wiped at the tears on her face, "I don't want you to cry over me so please let me try and fix whatever is wrong."

Leaning on his chest she looked down at him desperately trying to stop the tears from falling, "I don't want to lose you."

"But I'm not going anywhere, as your boyfriend it is my duty to be around as much as you want me to be."

Pushing herself into a sitting position she sat on his stomach staring down at him, "Until tomorrow and you regret it all and tell me you were wrong, it didn't mean anything and it can't happen again."

He completely understood where her anxiety was coming from but she was wrong, "Nope, not happening. Tomorrow I will wake up with a smile on my face knowing that I have the most beautiful girlfriend in the whole entire universe and I will be thanking my lucky stars that I get to see her in some hot ass workout gear when she has gym."

Blushing she wanted to call him out for lying and being an asshole for getting her hopes up like that but when she looked in his eyes she didn't see a liar, she saw sincerity, "Wait, you're not going to tell me it was all a mistake tomorrow?"

Shaking his head the sensible part of his brain told him he should but he just wasn't going to listen to that part any more, "I am not. You have sworn to me that it is going to remain between the two of us and so I am going to trust you and not worry about anybody else and just enjoy having one sexy girlfriend. If you want to back out at this point then that's okay, I won't hold it against you or try and force anything on you."

Shaking her head that was the last thing on earth she wanted to do, "I have fought so hard to get to this point that there is no way I want to give it up, I'm just scared you'll sleep on it and change your mind."

He didn't know how he could prove it to her but he was going to try, "Let's swap phone numbers, as my girlfriend I want your number anyway, and I will text you first thing in the morning and prove to you I haven't changed my mind."

"You have my number, you sent me a text."

Pushing himself up the couch a little so Stephanie slid a little lower on his body he sat up so they were chest to chest again, "I saved it, sent the text and then deleted the number so we do need to swap numbers. I will go and get my phone so we can swap numbers okay?"

Closing her eyes as a shiver went down her spine after his abs rubbed up against her still sensitive clit she blindly nodded her head.

"You okay Steph?"

Opening her eyes slowly she took a deep breath in and slowly exhaled it, "You have some tight abs."

Raising his eyebrow he looked at her strangely until he realised what she meant, "Ohhhh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to do that."

Looking at him sceptically she nodded her head, "Mmhmm, I'm sure you didn't."

If she was going to be like that then he was going to make her feel better. Moving her leg from over him he slid out placing her knee back on the couch and stood up. Once on his feet he slipped his hand between her legs he teased her clit with his finger, "Now that was on purpose."

Watching as he walked out of the room she couldn't move, she was stuck kneeling on the couch waiting for him to return.

Returning with his phone in hand Paul stared at her naked on his couch and shook his head immediately bending down and grabbed his tank top from the floor and threw it at her, "Please put that on, I can't bare to stare at your naked body without thinking of the many things I would rather be doing."

Looking at him stunned she pulled the shirt on blushing at how little it covered anyway, "I'm sorry that me being here is such an imposition for you."

Shaking his head she totally misunderstood, "The things I would rather be doing are to you. Before you say it I am not going to take advantage of you, that and you probably need to be home soon."

"I'm not some young kid that has a curfew."

Pouting he gave her his best 'please don't be mad at me look', "I don't mean that, it's just your birthday and well your parents are obviously going to want to spend time with you."

Shrugging her shoulders she got up from the couch and picked up his track pants and held them out to him, "Put those on please, I can't bare to stare at your naked body without thinking of the many things I would rather be doing."

Laughing he pulled the pants on, "Well played Miss McMahon. In all seriousness, what's going on with your family tonight?"

Fishing her phone from her coat pocket she handed it to Paul whilst removing his from his hand, "My parents are working, they're going out to dinner with a client. I did have the opportunity to go with them but I would rather sit in Maths class all weekend for a month than go to a boring dinner where they do nothing but talk business. I do believe my Mom said that they would be back about nine so I think I could safely stay here until 8, unless you want rid of me sooner."

Seeing her stood there in his shirt he looked down at the time on her phone that read 5:54pm he shook his head and smiled, "I don't want you to spend your birthday alone so you can stay here and I will cook you dinner."

Saving her number on his phone she turned to face him, "Could I stay even if I took this shirt off?"

Groaning he wasn't going to kick her out, "I will beg you to keep it on so you don't torture me to my death but I won't kick you out."

Laughing she leant up and kissed his cheek, "Don't worry, it'll stay on . . . until after dinner and then I make no promises."

Handing her phone back to her he threw his phone on the couch and slipped his arms around her waist pulling tight against him, "Why am I getting the feeling that you are slightly insatiable when it comes to sex today?"

Draping her arms over his shoulder she loosely clasped them behind his neck, "I've never had such a sexy boyfriend that I have wanted to have lots of sex with before and who also gives me so much pleasure so excuse me for making the most of it."

Pressing a soft kiss to the top of her nose he smiled, "You deserve to feel the pleasure I feel during sex but let's take it one step at a time okay?"

Moving her hands from around his neck to around his back she held him close resting her cheek on his chest, "I will. As long as I get to spend time with you that is all I need, promise."

Holding a woman in his arms had never felt so right, "You have my full attention all evening."

It was half past eight when she walked through the phone door at home, her parents weren't home so she had some time to herself. Walking up to her bedroom she put the shorts and t-shirt that she had taken with her away before she shrugged off the coat and hung that back up in her wardrobe taking her phone from the pocket before she forgot. She was about to toss her phone on the bed when she had an idea so quickly sent a text to her best friend:

_I have a boyfriend._

Tossing the phone onto her bed she hurried into the bathroom to shower and get into her pyjamas before her parents returned home.

Walking out of the bathroom dressed in a pair of pyjamas pants and Paul's tank top that swam on her but matched her pants perfectly she couldn't help but notice her phone lit up which surprised her. Picking up the offending object she laughed when she saw that she had roughly six texts all from Kayleigh:

_OH MY GOD REALLY?!_

_STEPH?_

_BITCH STOP MAKING ME WAIT!_

_YOU HAD BETTER ANSWER ME SOON!_

_DO YOU WANT ME TO COME UP THERE AND DRAG IT OUT OF YOU?_

_FOR FUCKS SAKE WOMAN WHERE ARE YOU?!_

Unlocking her phone to send a text she heard the front door slam and her parent's talking so she made her way towards the door:

_The parents have just got home so can't talk, will call tomorrow but yes, he is really my boyfriend . . . hopefully._

Making her way down the stairs she smiled at her Mom who looked like she was just about to call her, "Hey. Did you have a nice evening?"

Eyeing her daughter she had never seen her top before, "Is that top new? Dinner was nice thank you. Did you eat? What did you do with your evening?"

Playing it off she shrugged, "This top isn't new, I just haven't really worn it before. I did eat, I hung out with a friend and we had a nice dinner and evening together."

Smiling at her daughter she was pleased to hear that she had had a good evening because it was her birthday after all, "I'm glad you had a nice evening, I'm just sorry I couldn't spend it with you. I must say you do look really happy and that makes me feel better but maybe you could take some time out of your evening to have some cocoa with me?"

Hooking her arm through her Mom's she walked through to the kitchen with her, cocoa would be the perfect end to her day, "I'm in charge of the marshmallows though."

Making two mugs of cocoa Linda set them on the island in front of her daughter before she grabbed the bag of marshmallows from the cupboard, "Two cocoas and one bag of marshmallows, do your worst."

Taking a seat opposite her daughter she watched as she piled the marshmallows high in the mugs, "So what did you have for dinner?"

Once she was satisfied with the pile of marshmallows in her mug Stephanie set aside the bag and wrapped her hands around her mug, "We had a stir fry, it was a delicious."

"Did one of you actually cook that from scratch?"

Nodding her head she had to be so careful what she said, "My friend cooked it from scratch, I cut a few vegetables up for it."

There was something about the way that her daughter was that really threw her, "Was it a boy from your class?"

It was a boy but he wasn't from her class, "It was not. You should be thankful that I am happy here and don't want to go home any longer rather than interrogate me, not that I don't miss Kayleigh but I have found reasons to stay here."

"Is there a guy you like?"

Sighing softly she plucked a marshmallow from her and popped it into her mouth, she didn't want to tell her Mom the truth but she didn't really want to lie to her either, "What makes you think there is a guy I like?"

As a loving Mother who had only recently become so busy that she didn't get enough time to hang out with her daughter she felt guilty but she did know certain parts of her daughter's personality and the smile on her face and the glint in the eye said romance, "I guess it could also be a female if that is the way you feel, either way I support you. As for your question I can see something on your face, there is a sparkle in your eyes. Is there someone?"

She bit her lip not wanting to be entirely honest with her, "There is someone I like but I don't really want to talk about it yet as it is really early days and it might not go anywhere."

"Just make sure he treats you right and if he doesn't treat you right kick him to the curb as you deserve nothing but the best."

Unable to stop herself from smiling as her mind immediately drifted to Paul telling her that he didn't want her to be alone on her birthday, "I promise if he treats me anything but the best he isn't worth my time. So is the client bringing big business your way?"

After spending some time with her Mom talking and drinking their cocoas Stephanie made her way to bed with a smile on her face. When the day had started she had such low expectations but it had surpassed them by far, not only did she now have a boyfriend, hopefully anyway, her Mom had taken some time out and had sat down and they had really talked for the first time since they had moved here.

Crawling into bed she rolled onto her side and relaxed breathing in the scent of Paul's top when her phone beeped so she reached across to grab it before she pushed herself up leaning on one elbow as she looked at it immediately smiling when she saw that it was from Paul:

_Goodnight beautiful, I hope you had the best birthday. Sleep well and I can't wait to see you tomorrow xx_

Her smile grew so wide she was sure it would split her face in two, she couldn't believe that he had texted her to say goodnight so it was only fair that she replied:

_I had the best birthday ever thank you, it was simply perfect. Thank you, sleep well and I will see you tomorrow xxxxx_

Putting her phone back on the side she lay back down and closed her eyes to go to sleep.


	20. Chapter 20

The minute Paul woke up on Thursday morning his mind drifted to Stephanie, he really hoped that she didn't regret yesterday because he didn't. Reaching for his phone he wanted to prove to her that he was serious about what he had said about them being together:

_Good morning to my beautiful and sexy girlfriend, I hope you slept as well as I did. Wish me luck in keeping my hands off you later xxx_

Moaning lowly when her alarm went off the last thing Stephanie wanted was to be wide awake right now. Slamming her first on her alarm she slowly sat up before she reached for her phone lighting it up to check it surprised when she saw the text from Paul immediately blushing:

_I'm still your girlfriend huh? I slept so well last night after our adventure, I hope you don't regret anything. Maybe I'll make it extra difficult for you xxx_

Sliding out of bed she headed into her bathroom with a spring in her step, maybe she needed to swap what she wore for gym just to tease him that little bit more.

He was just finishing buttering the toast when his phone beeped and when he saw who it was from he smiled but the he groaned when he actually read it:

_Steph please, it will be hard enough as it is without you teasing me further. Just remember that anything you can do I can do better xxxxx_

Now he was going to ignore his phone until he got to school otherwise he would end up being late as he would be too busy texting her trying to get her to change her mind and take back everything he said.

Getting out of the shower she went to her closet to pick out the perfect outfit for today and settled on a dress that skimmed her mid thigh as she knew it was absolutely perfect. Dropping that on the bed she went over to her drawers and pulled out some underwear but also retrieved one of her actual gym outfits which consisted of a sports bra, a loose shirt that barely covered it and a pair of shorts, if he didn't think he could keep his hands off her before then this should make it even harder for him.

Walking into school Paul contemplated going home sick before lunch as he had a bad feeling that Stephanie was going to take what he said about needing luck to keep his hands off her and was going to make it even harder for him. Waving at Tilly as he made his way straight to the gym that reminded him that he owed Sierra a text so when he reached his office he unlocked it and then tossed his bag on the floor before he pulled his phone from his pocket:

_I hope you remember me LOL I'm the guy Tilly set you up on a date with. I wanted to say that the girl I was pining after is now my girlfriend. Paul_

As soon as he had sent the text he locked his phone away and went to set up the gym for his first class to keep his mind occupied.

Getting out of her car Stephanie locked it and put her bag over her shoulder and as she did she heard a wolf whistle from behind her. Spinning around to see who had the nerve to whistle at her like she was a dog she rolled her eyes and wanted to gag when she saw Hugh, "Oh, it's you."

Walking closer to her he didn't bother to attempt to hide the lust in his eyes as he looked her up and down, "Damn you look fine today."

Making a face she wasn't sure what he wanted her to say, ". . . Thanks?"

Running his hand down her arm he smiled, "So how about you and I go somewhere after school."

Shrugging his hand off her she said, "Yeah, you can go jump off a cliff and I'll go home."

The boys Hugh were with all laughed, "Burn."

Pouting he gave her his cutest look, "Aww come on, you don't know me so don't you think you should give me a chance and come out and get to know me?"

Seeing the girls arrive she was relieved when they stood behind her, "I don't know you and I don't **want** to know you, you're greasy, slimy and everything I wouldn't want in a boyfriend so take your ego trip and try it on some other poor sucker who doesn't see right through you."

Spinning around she turned around and smiled at the girls, "Who's ready to get away from here? There is a terrible stench of desperation in the air." Everyone but Hugh laughed as the girls all walked off together.

Once they were clear of Hugh Belle stopped and turned to face Stephanie, "Welcome to the second day of being eighteen."

Rolling her eyes Stephanie shook her head, "If this is how eighteen is going to be can I please be nineteen or seventeen again? Things were starting to pick up and now I really don't want to have to deal with Hugh so here's hoping he backs off."

Belle smiled, "Talking of backing off, I must say you are looking mighty fine today with that dress that has a missing back. Is there any reason you are dressed so well?"

Blushing she shook her head, "This isn't sexy or anything close to being so and for your information there is not a missing back, it is your eyes playing tricks on you because of my jacket. I just thought that I would wear a dress for a change, it's nice and long without being restricting and it will be so easy to change in and out of for gym."

"Ooooh gym, I forgot we had Mr Levesque later, this should be fun."

Raising her eyebrow Stephanie was intrigued, "Why? What do you have planned for the poor guy?"

Shaking her head she laughed as she grabbed Stephanie's arm and dragged her into the school, "I don't have anything planned, maybe, I guess you will have to wait and see."

Rolling her eyes Stephanie could only imagine what Belle was going to attempt to do but she had no reason to be embarrassed in front of Paul, apart from of the other girl's behaviour that is, because he was her boyfriend. Sitting down in her first class she couldn't help but wish that the morning was nearly over:

_Is it last period of the morning yet? *sulks* xxx_

Sending her boyfriend the text she slid her phone back into her bag and focussed her attention on the lesson.

Paul finished teaching his first class and had a brief break before he had to set up for the next class so quickly unlocked his drawer and checked his phone laughing when he saw Stephanie's text, she had no idea how badly he wanted it to be nearly lunchtime too but he was going to keep hold of some self restraint and not reply and tell her so much, he was going to play a bit of hard to get.

Walking into the gym she eyed her supposed friends suspiciously, they were clearly up to something as the conversation stopped when she entered but what that was she really had no idea, "Sorry I'm late, I got side-tracked by the teacher."

Seeing Mr Levesque walk out of his office this was perfect for what Belle had planned, "Good morning Mr Levesque."

Trying to avoid looking in Stephanie's direction he smiled politely, "Good morning girls. Are you going to go and change now?"

"Yes sir. Did you know it was Stephanie's birthday yesterday? She was eighteen."

Acting surprised he turned to look at her and smiled, "Was it really? Belated Happy Birthday to you. Did you have a good birthday?"

Unable to stop the blush creeping up her cheeks she nodded her head, "Yes I did thank you, I had a pretty awesome present that I wasn't really expecting so I couldn't have asked for anything better."

Watching the two of them interact Belle couldn't help but want to tease Stephanie, "Aren't you going to give her a present sir?"

Looking at the girls, who were all now giggling, strangely he was confused, "Like what? A day off gym?"

Not wanting any part of whatever Belle was about to suggest Stephanie went to walk past them, "I'm going to change."

Grabbing her arm Belle stopped her, "No way." Turning her attention to their teacher she frowned at his suggestion, "Well not what I was thinking. Don't you want to make the new student's first birthday here totally memorable? Why don't you give her a hug?"

"I am not allowed to touch students, it is a state wide policy after some teachers have overstepped the boundaries."

Belle was not going to let that deter her, "We won't tell."

Rolling her eyes Stephanie shook her head, "Did you not hear what he said? He could lose his job so instead of playing some sick twisted game trying to embarrass me or him or just for your sick amusement can we just change and get the lesson under way so I can actually eat lunch please?"

Not even waiting for a response she stormed into the locker room to change. Tossing her bag onto the bench she pulled it open before dropping her clothes onto the bench to change.

The girls had stayed stood there in a stunned silence after Stephanie's outburst so Paul gave them a gentle prod, "Come on girls, let's get moving and go and change please." Turning around he went to change the set-up of the gym to make it harder for the girls after their attempted stunt.

As soon as she had finished changing Stephanie left the locker room and entered the gym jogging towards Paul who was stood at the top end of the gym, "I'm so sorry about the girls, I swear they make me so embarrassed"

Turning around to face her his eyes widened and he gulped taking a brief moment to drink in the sight before him,"So I tell you that I need luck to keep my hands off you and you wear something like that? Are you deliberately trying to kill me?"

Smiling sweetly she shook her head, "Not at all, why would I want to do that?"

Shrugging his shoulders he didn't have an answer to that, he just knew that he needed to stay far away from her, "I don't know but you are. How am I meant to keep my hands to myself when you are dressed like that? There are so many places I want to touch."

Gasping she blushed at his comment, "Oh my God, I can't believe you said that."

"It's the truth. I wouldn't have said it if we weren't so far away from everybody else but I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable."

Shaking her head the words were out of her mouth before she even thought about it, "I wish it could happen."

He wasn't going to go there, he was going to maintain his control, "I had better finish this off."

"What were you going to say?"

Turning back to look at her he was surprised, "How did you know I was going to say anything?"

Blushing she was now doubting herself, "I saw a flicker in your eyes, it looked like you were going to say something but I am probably wrong."

Smiling softly he wanted to say something but wouldn't, "Let's just say that what was on the the tip of my tongue is something that should not come out of my mouth when we are here."

Seeing some of the other girls coming out of the locker room he placed the last two cones down before he jogged to the front of the gym, "At last."

She didn't have time to calm her beating heart or her irritation at his sudden awareness of where they were as she had to follow him over to the rest of the girls to start class.

Class ended and Paul made his way into his office, he would clean the gym up once the girls had left so he could do it in silence.

Walking into the locker room to change she heard the girls talking about how Paul was staring at her made her think about what he had said and abandoning the idea to change she turned around and walked right back out of the locker room and knocked on his office door.

Being sat at his desk with his door closed he was looking forward to five minutes of silence before he got up to make sure they all left but he didn't even get that as somebody was at the door, "Come in."

Hearing him invite her in she walked inside and shut the door behind her, "I want to talk to you."

Sighing he got up from his seat and moved around the desk to sit on the edge on her side, "Take a seat."

"I don't want to take a seat."

Crossing his arms he was confused, "Then don't take a seat, continue to stand. How can I help you?"

Biting down on her lip she moved so she was facing him fully, "What were you going to say earlier when you changed the subject? We are alone now so it really doesn't matter."

"They are all just outside the room and could walk in at any moment."

Looking at the door and then back at him she frowned, "It's closed, they'll knock first but nobody will want you anyway."

Why did this girl have an answer to everything and turn him on so much? Running his hands over his head he sighed, "Don't take this the wrong way but what I was originally going to say earlier was that I wished it could happen too. I realise now that that was my mouth talking without engaging my brain and it was a completely ridiculous thing to say here as we have to keep things professional. Maybe another time when we are at mine though."

Stepping closer to him she smiled softly, "Why not now?"

He couldn't move away from her without looking ridiculous as he was sat on his desk, "Because we shouldn't, I can't, we can't."

Acting like she was going to take a step closer to him she pretended to trip so she fell against him, "Are you sure you can't be convinced?"

Gasping when he felt her body pressed against him his heart and his head were currently having a fist fight about what to say even though his arms were wrapped around her waist holding her to him. After a minute his head won out, "I'm sure I can't be convinced right now but if, for example, one night you were to come to mine and you were dressed like this then all bets would be off."

Smiling softly she wrapped her arms around his neck, "I'll keep that in mind. I suppose you want me to leave now huh? There's no hope of me staying here a little longer?"

Rubbing the base of her spine with his thumbs he sighed wanting her to stay so badly, "It's not that I want you to leave but unless you have brought your lunch with you and we could just sit here and talk and eat together then no, you can't stay."

Slowly pulling away she sighed softly, "Oh."

Pulling her back to him he hated seeing the frown on her face, "Don't be sad please. If you are free later you can come to mine."

Her face lit up when he said that, "Do you really promise that?"

The sparkle in her eyes and the smile on her face was something that was going to get him through the rest of the day, "I really promise that. If you are free afterwards I would love it if you would come to mine for a bit."

Biting down on her lip to stop any sounds of excitement escaping she was so happy right now, "That's settled then, tonight I am coming to yours and I may just bring this outfit with me just for you."

Unable to stop himself he moved his face slowly closer to hers, "I can't wait." Pressing his lips against hers he gave her a short teasing kiss before he pulled back again, "You can have more later."

Dropping her arms from around his neck she acted like she was going to step backwards but instead she leant closer and held his sides as she pressed a kiss to his lips but this one was longer and more passionate than his.

Moaning against her lips this kiss couldn't last as long as he wanted it to as he didn't know how much restraint he had when his desire for her was already strong so he turned them to the side and slowly pulled away from her, "I want to but we can't."

Smiling softly at him she wasn't mad, "I know, I just needed more than you gave me to last me through the day. I will leave now though before people send a search party after me."

Running his hand over his head he gulped, "Yeah. I'll see you later."

"You bet you will." Turning around she walked towards the door with an extra swing in her hips knowing he would hate every second of it.

Groaning as he watched her walk to the door she certainly knew how to use her body to get right under his skin. As soon as she had left his office he waited a few minutes before he left to go and tidy the gym.

When she walked into the locker room it was empty so she had a quick shower and changed before she made her way to the dining room where the girls would be. Grabbing some food she walked over to them and took a seat rolling her eyes when the conversation and she felt all eyes on her, "Yes?"

"Where the hell have you been? We thought you'd got kidnapped."

Lifting her head she rolled her eyes, "Kidnapped?! Seriously?! Girls you're crazy."

Belle frowned, "Excuse us for worrying when you literally just disappear into thin air."

Grumbling she hated feeling like she had to justify herself to them but they had a small point, "I was talking to Mr Levesque, it was nothing important, we just spoke when he didn't have a class. It's not big deal though, nothing for you to worry about."

There was mumblings of disappointment among the girls but they moved on leaving Stephanie to get on with eating as she wanted to get the day over with.


	21. Chapter 21

This is for **levesque fan forever**, Happy Birthday :)

Please check out my bio because there is a poll at the top of the page I would appreciate as many people as possible voting on.

* * *

The afternoon had dragged on and on for Stephanie so when school ended and she got to go home she couldn't have been happier, especially because it meant she was so close to spending time with Paul.

Leaving her gym bag in the car she headed inside with her school bag and headed upstairs dropping it next to her desk. Once her bag was on the floor she walked over to her vanity table and took a seat, if she was going to do this she was going to do this right so she pulled her hair back into a neat ponytail before dropping her brush back down with a bang and got up heading back out of the door.

Putting a load of laundry in the machine Paul hated waiting for a knock at the door, he just wanted her to magically appear in front of him so he didn't have to just do little things here and there to keep himself busy knowing he would have to get up to answer the door soon.

Arriving at Paul's house she grabbed her bags from the back and headed up to the door quickly knocking and whilst she waited for it to open she looked around to make sure nobody saw her.

As soon as he heard the knock at the door he pulled it open really glad that it was his girlfriend on the other side, "Do come in."

Stepping inside she motioned to the stairs, "Can I use your bathroom please? I'm desperate?"

Nodding his head he waved in the general direction of the stairs, "Be my guest. Up the stairs, first door on the right."

Smiling at him she kissed him quickly on the cheek before she jogged up the stairs acting like she really was desperate but she wasn't. Entering the bathroom she shut and locked the door behind her before she put her bags on the floor and fished out her gym gear slipping off her dress and got changed. Once she was changed she unlocked the door and headed back downstairs with bags in hand.

Relaxing on the couch he was looking forward to her joining and laying in his arms, after dealing with the first years he definitely needed something, or someone, to take his mind off work. Hearing her walking back down the stairs he sat up a little so he didn't look quite like a slob as he waited.

Entering the lounge she dropped her bags out of the way before she headed towards him, "I'm hoping this is an invitation to join you for a cuddle."

Lifting his head and opening his eyes to answer her he gasped when he saw what she was wearing, "I warned you earlier about that outfit. What are you doing?"

Acting all innocent she smiled sweetly, "I was planning to go and find a gym after I left here and I figured as I was in the bathroom already I would change then and give us more time together."

Staring up at her he moved his hands behind his back before he slid back on the couch leaning against them, "Come and take a seat for a bit before you leave then. I know a good gym, the one I go to is really accessible and it has modern equipment and knowledgeable and friendly staff and it is a reasonable rate per month."

Remaining stood in front of him she was confused and amused, "If it's all the same to you I would prefer to have your arms wrapped around me. I'd appreciate the address of the gym though please, it's better to get a recommendation than just try any old gym you find."

"I can take you to the gym to join before you head home if you like, I was heading over tonight myself for a workout. I can't remove my hands from behind my back, I don't trust my hands."

Frowning she crossed her arms over her chest, "Seriously Paul? I am supposed to be your girlfriend, I think that gives you some opportunities to touch me."

Sighing heavily he didn't want her to think he was only after one thing, "In that outfit you are making it difficult for me to feel like I could simply sit here with you in my arms without pushing things and I don't want you to think I am only after one thing."

Leaning forward she reached behind him and grabbed his arms and carefully pulled them from behind his back and placed his hands on her waist, "I do believe that you told me earlier that if I came to yours in this outfit that all bets would be off. I chose to wear this outfit knowing full well that you liked it so I am in full knowledge of what might happen so don't worry."

Rubbing her sides with his thumbs he smiled up at her, "Are you sure? I mean I really don't want you to think I am only after one thing."

Curious she raised her eyebrow, "Well when you said you wanted to touch me earlier you didn't say you wanted it to go there aswell so I am not expecting that to be honest, if it was to go there though then we are two consenting adults."

His hands slowly slid up her sides as he looked at her face trying to look for signs of her being uncomfortable but the only thing to change on her face was her eyes to slide closed as he got closer and closer to her sports bra, "How high and how low can I go?"

Her eyes snapped open, "There are no limits but only if I get it join you on the couch first."

Removing his hands from her sides he sat back expecting her to climb on beside him, "Sure, I apologise for being rude and attempting to make you stand."

Unable to stop the giggle that passed her lips at his apology she climbed onto the couch straddling his legs, "Much more comfortable." Framing his face with her hands she pressed a kiss to his lips before she pulled back again, "You didn't need to apologise but you can now return to where you were."

His hands returned to her waist but this time they slid lower to the waistband of her shorts trailing across to the middle before he slid them higher feeling her stomach and her ribs before he reached the bottom of her sports bra. Almost in a whisper he said, "Can I go higher?"

She didn't know why he was so afraid but she ripped her t-shirt off and dropped it onto the couch beside them before she nodded, "Uh huh, as I said you can go as high and as low as you want."

For him this wasn't sexual, there was just something about her body that he was dying to explore how it felt beneath his fingers after seeing her in her gym gear. Looking into her eyes he smiled as his hands moved higher pushing her sports bra up and freeing her breasts, "You have such an amazing body."

As his hands covered her breasts she could only moan in response, there didn't seem to be any need or desire in his touch but it was setting her entire body on fire. Relaxing on his lap she arched her back pushing her breasts further into his hands enjoying the touch but all too soon his hands were gone and they were sliding behind her back before making a journey south. Leaning forward she rested against his chest as she felt his hands cover her ass and squeeze it gently, she hoped and prayed his hands didn't go between her legs as that would be embarrassing.

Having touched almost every part of her body his hands moved from her ass to her legs feeling the strength and muscles she had there before his hands went back to her ass just because he enjoyed being able to touch and explore without it being sexual, "You have the most amazing body for someone so young. How long have you been working out?"

Sitting back a little she blushed when his eyes darted to her chest before back to her face, "Since I was like thirteen or fourteen. My best friend and I snuck into a gym because we wanted to see the hot men but when we were caught we said we wanted to work out so we had to get our parents to let us join and we ended up just really enjoying going, we were never allowed to do weights but we really enjoyed pushing ourselves and each other with the different machines and having races between each other."

Hearing her story he smiled, he felt like he knew more about her now, "Sounds like a lot of fun. Why don't we head out now and I can show you around the gym? Well you know not personally I guess as we have to make it seem like we are both there at the same time accidentally but you must miss working out so you probably want a workout right?"

Biting the inside of her cheek that was the last thing she wanted right now, there was something she wanted far more but she was too embarrassed to ask him about it so she would have to take matters into her own hands if she wanted to be able to workout and not hurt herself as her mind was somewhere else, "Sure. Could I possibly borrow your bedroom a minute just to make sure I am presentable please?"

Nodding his head something felt off to him but he couldn't place it, "If that's what you need go right ahead. You can have any bedroom you want but mine is the top of the stairs and it is the room on the left."

Pressing a soft kiss to his lips she smiled as she pulled away pulling her sports bra back down before she grabbed her shirt and quickly headed for the stairs.

Making her way up the stairs Stephanie turned left and entered his bedroom shutting the door firmly behind her. Taking a moment to admire his room she noticed her panties from the other week laying on the top. Blushing a deep shade of red at the realisation that he had actually kept them she quickly moved over to the bed and dropped her t-shirt on the floor beside it before she stripped herself naked, she could do it half naked but she felt off being in his room and not being naked so she wanted to go all the way.

With her clothes in a pile on the floor she crawled into the middle of the bed and then she lay down on her back spreading her legs slowly. Her heart was beating out of her chest but she ignored it as she didn't have time to waste incase he came looking for her so she closed her eyes and her hands went to her breasts massaging them gently before they slid lower and she focussed on the one area that needed her attention most spreading her lips with one hand and slipping a couple of fingers from her other hand inside herself moaning at the initial invasion before she began to move them within herself.

He had given her a minute but when there was no sign of her reappearing and he couldn't hear her moving he headed upstairs to check on her because he already didn't believe what she had said to him.

Stood outside of his bedroom his hand was on the handle to open the door and go inside but he hesitated. Pressing his ear to the door he couldn't hear sound or movement and part of him was actually worried about her so he slowly opened the door and as he did so and she came into view his mouth dropped open and his eyes widened, it had to be the sexiest view he had ever seen.

Standing there for a moment he couldn't help but just stare at her and watch the movement of her hand, he knew he hadn't believed her when she said that she was just getting dressed but he had never imagined that he would see this and it was hot. As hot as it was though he didn't want to creepily stand in the doorway watching her when she didn't know he was there so for better or worse he was about to make his presence known.


	22. Chapter 22

Slowly walking over to the bed drinking in every inch of her he took a seat on the bed beside her feet, "What are you doing?"

Stephanie was so focussed on herself and reaching her own goal she didn't register that he joined her in the room and when he spoke her eyes flew open and she saw him sat there staring at her and she couldn't have been move embarrassed. Removing her fingers from inside of herself she quickly sat up and scrambled to get off the bed reaching down to pick up her clothes, "I've got to go home."

Confused by her actions he grabbed her arm with one hand and slipped his other arm around her waist holding her there, "Hold on. What's wrong? Where are you going?"

Her body stiffened at the touch of his hands and she squeezed her eyes tightly shut to prevent the tears that were pooling there from escaping, "Nothing, I just remembered my Mom needed me home to accept a delivery for her."

Frowning he didn't understand what was going on, "Is that why you were laying naked on my bed in the process of getting yourself off? Stephanie please be honest with me, I won't think any worse of you."

She wanted to leave, she wanted to get out of there and just pretend this whole day hadn't happened but he knew the truth so was it even worth it? Taking a deep breath she still remained with her back to him, "You will when you know the truth."

Sliding a bit further up the bed so he was closer to her he wanted her to relax, "I won't think badly of you at all. Just be honest, be truthful. Do you really need to leave? Why did you not ask me to get you off or help you or whatever?"

Still unable to look at him she remained with her back to him and her eyes closed, "No, I don't really need to be home, I just don't feel like I can be here after what you saw."

"What? Why not? You do realise that I have seen you naked before right?"

Turning around angrily to face him she glared at him because he just didn't get it, "Sure you have but you've not seen me like **that** before and our relationship isn't at that point. I never said anything about how I was feeling to you because it wasn't a sexual moment that we were in, you were just touching and there was nothing to it but my body just reacted like that and I was and am highly embarrassed by the situation."

Finally realising where she was coming from and how she was feeling he felt bad for her, he had taken her to be so confident but she wasn't really, she was as terrified about this as he was or maybe even more terrified because she wasn't as experienced with relationships as he was. Moving his hand to her hip he held it gently and rubbed it with his thumb, "Don't be embarrassed, you have no reason to be embarrassed by the fact that your body reacted to the touch of my hands. Are you still hot?"

Blushing she bit down on her lip not sure that she could actually answer that, she didn't want pity sex and her brain was just going around and around at a million miles a second.

The silence he was receiving from her didn't give him a clear indication of how she was feeling so he took his life and his relationship in his hands and lifted the hand he was holding to his mouth and took the fingers that had been inside of her into his mouth and gently sucked them clean as he looked up at her face to see her response.

Entirely focussed on the thoughts in her head she wasn't paying attention to Paul, that was until she felt her fingers be sucked into his mouth. Gasping an involuntary shudder went through her body, "Paul, those fingers were . . ." She trailed off not able to finish that sentence as her cheeks got even redder at the thought.

Releasing her fingers from his mouth briefly he smiled up at her, "Those fingers were inside of you. Was that what you were going to say?" Receiving a brief nod from her he continued, "I know they were, that's why I am sucking them. Just so you know you taste delightful. If you want, once your fingers are clean, I will get you off."

Gulping she didn't remove her fingers from his mouth or even make a move to get away from him despite the anxiety she was feeling but the attention he was giving her fingers meant she had longer to try and wrap her head around it and work out what it was exactly that she wanted.

Once he had cleaned her fingers sufficiently he removed them from his mouth and gripped her other hip holding them both as he looked up at her, "So would you like me to get you off and then we go to the gym or is it all out of the window now and you just want to leave. Before you make your decision just know that I am your boyfriend and I know women do that just as you know us men jerk off and if it would make you more comfortable or happier or whatever one time you can see me jerk off."

Whimpering she didn't know if this was normal as she had nothing to base it on but she was so hot still and she wasn't sure her brain understood the words coming out of her mouth, "You promise that's a possibility?"

Smiling softly he nodded his head, "Sure, if it would make you happy for us to be even it's a definite possibility for you. That's a discussion for later though, now the discussion is you and what you want."

Biting down on her lip she found herself nodding her head, "I'm so hot right now Paul, I really can't cope."

Relieved that she was opening up to him and being honest he patted the bed beside him, "Come and take a seat, well technically lie down and tell me this, have you ever had a guy go down on you?"

Shaking her head she dropped her clothes to the floor before she climbed onto the bed and lay down again, "I have only ever had sex with a guy, he has never gone further than that on me and I haven't gone down on them either, I refused."

Turning to face her he was intrigued, "You refused because he refused to reciprocate or you refused because you don't want to ever?"

"I refused because he said he wouldn't for me and I just wasn't in a relationship where I felt comfortable being vulnerable like that with him. Are you just going to watch me?"

Leaning down so he was close to her face but not too close he shook his head as his hand rested on her stomach, "No. I was going to eat you out but I want your first time to be special so I'm going to do to you what you were doing to yourself okay?"

Gasping her eyes widened, she hadn't expected him to actually get involved, "Really?!"

"I won't if you'd prefer I didn't."

Before she knew what she was doing she grabbed his hand that was on her stomach and placed it between her now spread legs. Her eyes slid closed as she couldn't talk or look at him as he touched her.

Leaning on his arm so he remained close to her face and so he could stroke her hair with his hand he took the opportunity he gave her to gently touch her, "Open your eyes and look at me please Steph."

Reluctantly she opened her eyes fisting her hands in the comforter as his hands teased her and her hips bucked involuntarily looking for more.

Once she was looking at him and he knew she wanted more he slipped a finger inside of her, "I need you to be honest and vocal with me because I don't want you to be uncomfortable. I need you to tell me if it's too much, not enough or if you want more okay?"

Nodding her head she gasped at the invasion but it wasn't enough. Feeling self conscious she whispered, "More."

Confused as to why she could tell him she wanted him to fuck her against the door but yet she was too shy to tell him she wanted another finger he was going to push her, "What did you say?"

Whimpering she didn't want to have to repeat herself but she had no choice so a little louder she said, "More please."

Pressing a kiss to the side of her mouth he slid a second finger inside of her enjoying the way her eyes widened but he knew they needed to discuss her confidence after.

His entire focus was on her and soon his mouth was on hers as he moved his fingers bringing her to the peak that she had been trying to achieve herself.

She could feel it coming as the movement of her hips meeting his fingers became more erratic and her fingers found their way into his hair tugging on it gently pulling him away from the kiss as she was struggling to breathe before her body quickly tensed and she found the release that she had been searching for.

Once her breathing seemed to calm down he removed his fingers and sucked them clean before he rested his arm over her waist and his head on her shoulder cuddling her close until he could talk to her.

Feeling a lot happier and more relaxed after her orgasm Stephanie blushed when she realised that Paul was snuggled closed to her, "Thank you Paul."

Lifting his head briefly he looked down at her and smiled, "You're welcome. Before we go to the gym can I ask you something please?"

"Can I get dressed first then please?"

Shaking his head against her shoulder he held her a little tighter, "Nope, it will take away from what I want to talk to you about."

Confused she rolled onto her side so they were face to face and moved closer so her body was hidden from him, "What would you like to talk about?"

Pressing a kiss to her forehead he tightened his grip on her as she was so close to him now, "Don't get mad at me for what I am about to say but I want to know why you were so shy for this experience when we know each other a lot more compared to the second time we had sex where you were confident enough to say that you weren't leaving until I 'fucked you hard against the door'?"

When he asked the question all she could think of was how exactly she was going to be able answer that question as she wasn't sure how or if she could be honest with him.

Stroking her back with his fingers he just wanted honesty, "Just be honest please Steph, that's all I ask of you."

Resting her hand over his back she decided to put it all out there, "Being confident in sex is easy, being confident in situations like this is not so easy. For me this kind of thing is more intimate than sex because with sex it's all about the two of you joining as one and being pleasured together but what we just did it was about pleasure specifically for one so the other person is more clear headed and is completely aware of exactly what is happening so . . ."

Listening to her explain it all helped as he understood where she was coming from now, "So you felt more open and exposed because you were getting all of the pleasure and I was just giving it without the pleasure?"

Nodding her head she was glad that he understood, "Exactly, I mean what if, for example, I were to ask for five fingers inside of me and you thought badly of me?"

He opened his mouth to say 'asking to basically fist you would be hot' but quickly changed his mind about saying that as he didn't want to scare her as it was clearly just a crazy idea to suit her point, "As your boyfriend I would never thinking badly of you and I would hope that you wouldn't feel badly of me for anything I asked. In a relationship I personally think either party should be comfortable asking for whatever they want pleasure wise and although the other party has the option to say no it should not affect how they view their partner. Do you feel better now? Do you think you would be more comfortable being honest with me in these situations now or would you prefer that these situations never arose?"

Hearing him give her the option for it never to happen again made her think and she quickly shook her head, "No, I . . ." Blushing a deep shade of red she closed her eyes and composed her thoughts before she opened her eyes, "I liked what we had, after I got over the shock of you catching me, and I would like to be more confident in being like this with you and exploring the different aspects of pleasure in a relationship."

Smiling he tilted her head back so she was looking at him, "Just so you know, catching you like that was the hottest thing I have ever seen in my life. I want you to be more confident and I will help you in any way you want me to. Can I kiss you now before we get up to go?"

Smiling brightly at his comment she was shocked, "I'm sure there were sexier things before but yes, you can kiss me."

Wanting to make it entirely clear to her he shook his head, "In my life I have not seen a single sight that was sexier than what I saw tonight, no lies here." Leaning closer he began to kiss her softly to see what she wanted and soon he got the answer when her hand was behind his neck and her tongue was licking his lips begging for entrance which he quickly gave her.

The deepness of the kiss and the feelings she felt in her heart from one simple kiss was something she never experienced before with anyone but she liked and enjoyed it. As the kiss ended and the two of them pulled apart she licked her lips murmuring her approval at the taste, "Hmm, I don't know what you have eaten today but whatever it was it tasted delicious."

He thought about not telling her the truth but thought better of it because if she was to build her confidence she needed to hear it, "Oh I'm glad you enjoyed it because I enjoyed it very much too because the taste is you. As you know I licked your fingers clean and then I licked my fingers clean when you were recovering."

Her eyes widened at the realisation of what she had just done but if she was going to be confident in this sort of intimacy she had to get used to it, "So . . . uh . . . will you always kiss me after you've done that?"

Frowning he wasn't sure if that had just backfired on him, "Yes, unless you don't want me to."

Sitting up she didn't think what she was doing and just climbed over him so she could get to her clothes. Silently pulling on her underwear and her sports bra she suddenly turned to Paul, "I don't mind you doing that, if it always tastes that good, unless you think I'm weird and you don't like me liking it."

He enjoyed the view as she climbed over him but couldn't help but laugh at her comment he stood up and pressed his lips to hers again deepening the kiss quickly before he pulled away, "Does that give you your answer?"

Blushing she quickly bent down and grabbed her shorts, "I think we had better leave before we don't go to the gym. Should I like use some mouthwash or eat a mint or something?"

Shaking his head he just grabbed her hand and led her towards the door, "Nope, nobody should get close enough to you to know anything so don't worry Steph, it will be our secret."

Trailing behind him with t-shirt in hand she couldn't help but lick her lips as they made their way down the stairs. Next stop was the gym and she couldn't wait to see him getting all hot and sweaty working out, this day was just getting better.


	23. Chapter 23

Following Paul's directions she arrived at the gym impressed by the outward look of it, "Here's hoping it is as good on the inside." Climbing out of the car she left her bag in the trunk and just took her driving license and credit card in with her to sign up.

Walking through the front door she was surprised by how smart it looked, it was probably going to cost a fortune but if she was going to be able to "accidentally" bump into Paul then it would be worth every cent. Slowly making her way to the front desk she smiled politely at the woman behind the desk, "Hi, I received a recommendation for this gym and I was hoping to sign up please."

Smiling at the young woman in front of her she quickly retrieved a form from beneath the desk, "Here's a membership form for you to fill in. Membership is either thirty dollars per month or if you were to pay a year in advance it is three hundred and fifteen dollars."

Her eyes widened at the price, "Wait, that's it? Is there some sort of hidden extras or something? Don't take it the wrong way but for a gym in this condition with this sort of equipment I was expecting double that at least."

Laughing softly Zoe shook her head, "No hidden extras, well apart from personal training being an extra ten dollars per hour long session and we run exercise classes in three months blocks and we charge twenty dollars for the entire three month block but they are optional extras and are not mandatory. When you sign up you get a free one on one session with a personal trainer so that he can show you around the gym and the machines and anything more than that you have to pay for but beyond the first session isn't essential. A lot of people are surprised by our prices but the way my husband and I looked at it when we set the gym up was that gyms are expensive and people can't afford them so we wanted somewhere affordable for everybody and we have managed to keep to that and been able to expand and keep the machines up to date because the client list has continued to grow."

Smiling softly she liked this gym and her Dad wouldn't kill her for the bill either, "That sounds so perfect. Do you have like changing rooms and secure lockers and maybe showers also?"

Nodding her head she smiled, "Yes we do. There is a separate changing room for men and one for women and each one has rows of lockers with individual keys that are attached to a band that you can then put around your wrist/arm or ankle or they can be held safely here at the desk in a safe that can only be opened by specific members of staff who have the combination. It sounds extreme but it has been something that has evolved over the years and we found this model works rather well."

"Could I pay and work out right now?"

"Uh, well we don't have any trainers around and normally we insist that you are shown around first for your safety but it is quiet so I could take a moment to show you how to use individual machines and then you can book a training session with one of the trainers for later in the week."

Smiling brightly she was so relieved right now, "Thank you, that's so nice of you. I'm just dying to get a workout in, I haven't had one since I moved a few months ago and I'm slowly going crazy. I'm just going to grab my bag, I'll be back now."

Spinning around she failed to hear or register anybody's arrival in the gym until she literally crashed straight into them, "Oh my God."

Paul noticed that the girls were deep in conversation so he held back out of the way but he wasn't expecting Stephanie to spin around and crash right into him so he grabbed hold of her to prevent her falling over, "Are you okay?"

Blushing at the fact that she had crashed into him she nodded her head, "Yes, sorry I wasn't looking where I was going." Hurrying past him she went to get her bag and to compose herself again so she didn't feel quite so stupid.

With Stephanie out of the way he made his way to the desk, "Good afternoon Zoe, where's the husband?"

Smiling at him she was relieved that he called her by her name and wasn't teasing her, "He along with all of the other personal trainers are at some course or other for the afternoon. The new girl that crashed into you wants to work out so I am going to show her how to use some equipment, can I trust you to be good?"

Pretending to be offended he put his hand to his heart, "Your words wound me. If you would prefer I would be happy to show her around so you don't have to stress about it."

Looking at him sceptically she wasn't sure, "You're not on the insurance and if she had an accident we would be entirely liable and that could destroy us."

He was actually offended by her comment, "I have been coming here long enough that I know it all and it would save you. I swear I will be thorough and I won't let her use anything until I am certain she knows how to use it."

Just as Stephanie walked back into the gym Zoe looked between them. Turning to Stephanie she said, "So Paul here is a regular gym user, he is also the biggest pain in my neck but in a good way, and he has offered to show you around the gym if you want. I still recommend taking up the free session with the personal trainer as this wouldn't cover you on the insurance if you had an accident but it will be enough to tide you over."

Looking at Paul she smiled shyly before she looked back at Zoe, "That would be fine with me, I would feel better about not pulling you away from your work if you're sure it is okay."

Nodding her head she smiled at Paul, "Go and change Mr Trainer for the day whilst we finish up here."

Saluting he headed towards the changing room. It was only when he was inside the safety of the locker room that he realised what he had just said he would do, "Stupid stupid boy."

Finishing off the form Stephanie passed it back to her along with her driving license and credit card, "I'll pay for the entire year in advance please."

Looking at the driving license she was shocked to see that the young woman was barely eighteen which meant she would still be in school but it wasn't her place to judge so she processed the payment as the card was in her name, "The payment has been processed and once my husband gets back tonight he will sort out your membership card so that will be ready for your next visit. Would you like to book the training session now?"

Shifting the bag on her shoulder she nodded her head not wanting to seem to be anything but a regular member, "Yes please. I can't do this weekend so an evening early next week maybe?"

Looking through the diary she found a date, "I can do four o'clock next Tuesday?"

"That's good thanks, I can definitely do that."

Paul returned from the changing room, "So are we nearly ready then?"

Stephanie looked at Zoe who nodded her head and passed her cards back to her, "You're all ready, enjoy."

Smiling she slipped the cards into her bag, "Thanks, I will be back soon."

As soon as Stephanie had left Zoe turned to Paul, "Just be careful with her, she is only eighteen so I am not sure how far she can push her body. It's a shame she's not older though, the two of you made a cute couple when she crashed into you."

Rolling his eyes he shook his head as Stephanie made her way back towards them with a towel around her neck, "Don't say that near her." Turning his attention to Stephanie he reached his hand out towards her, "Hi, my name is Paul and I am pleased to meet you."

Smiling she shook his hand, "My name is Stephanie, it's nice to meet you. So are you sure you are willing to do this?"

Watching her as she put the band around her wrist, "I'm ready and willing, let's get this started."

As the two of them made their way over to the machines she was curious about something, "Did you know that nobody was here today?"

Laughing he shook his head, "I wish I was that clever, it was purely coincidence but a damn fine one for me."

Taking a deep breath she motioned to the cross trainer, "Let's get started here please."

Making his way to the cross trainer he helped her climb on before he showed her how to use it, "Any problems I'll be nearby."

For the next forty five minutes Stephanie moved between machines getting a really good workout in before she stopped the final machine and patted her face dry with the towel. Making her way over to Paul she stood to the side, "So is there any chance I can do some weights please?"

Slowing down his machine he climbed off, "Are you sure?"

Nodding her head she chewed on her lip, "I really am sure Paul, I want to learn how to do this."

Placing his hand on the small of her back he led her to the weights room, "Let's start with the lightest weight just so I can show you how to do this."

Picking up the lightest weight she turned to face him, "Now what?"

Turning her around he led her over to a bench as he stood behind her with his hands on her hips, "Bend over at the waist and place your right hand on the bench."

Looking around nervously she made sure that nobody was around and nobody could see them before she bent over at the waist pushing her butt out extra far so it hit his crotch, "Like this."

Unintentionally squeezing her hips a little tighter he quickly moved himself back away from her, "Steph don't do that please, it's not fair."

Turning her head to look at him she pouted, "You don't like it?"

"Oh no I do like it, that is the problem. That kind of behaviour can not happen here because it would be a little embarrassing as I would want to take you right here and now."

Blushing she hadn't expected that response, "Oh." Wanting to forget how stupid she had been she lifted the weight up, "So about this weight."

Laughing he stepped closer to her and proceeded to show her how to exercise with weights but made sure she kept to the lightest weights so that a properly trained trainer could show her as he didn't want to see her coming to any harm.

When the two of them finished their workouts they went to shower and change with Paul getting out of the changing room first. Leaning on the reception desk he smiled at Zoe, "So do you think I would get a job here?"

Tilting her head to the side she smirked, "Well you would have to impress the bosses and I'm not sure you are capable of being good long enough to do that."

Smirking she had a good point, "This is true, I'm a very bad boy."

Unable to stop the laugh that escaped she shook her head, "I know you are, you need a woman in your life to punish you and keep you in line."

He wanted to tell her that he had someone but he couldn't, "I don't think any woman could keep me in line. In all seriousness though, what are you going to tell the husband?"

"The husband will be told that you were good and helpful and were very attentive to her making sure she didn't hurt herself and we didn't get sued. In all seriousness Paul, I am really grateful to you for your help today."

Picking up the pen from the desk he began twirling it around in his fingers, "I liked helping, it changed up my workout a bit."

Walking out of the changing room Stephanie spotted Paul stood at the desk and a flash of jealousy went through her body as he looked so familiar and close with the woman. Making her way over to the desk she wanted to make sure he remembered who she was so as she walked behind him she trailed her hand over his ass making sure to squeeze it gently before she moved away, "Thank you for the help with the workout Paul and I will be back on Tuesday for my session with the trainer."

Zoe smiled at her, "I will see you on Tuesday but I'm glad you had a good workout."

Nodding her head politely she waved as she headed out of the gym.

Feeling Stephanie trailing her hand over his ass made Paul be on edge but when she squeezed his ass he knew that he was going to get his revenge. As soon as she left he made his excuses and quickly left behind her.

Stood just outside the front door she was going through her bag looking for her keys when suddenly someone grabbed her arm and pulled her down the alley that ran down the side of the gym.

As he walked out of the gym he was going to talk to her or maybe do the same to her as she had done to him but when he noticed that nobody was around he pulled her down the alley beside the gym and pinned her gently against the wall before he smothered her mouth with his and his hands began wandering up and down her sides and slid behind her squeezing her ass as payback for what she had done.

Her heart was beating out of her chest thinking she was being kidnapped but when she felt the lips and hands on her body she knew that it was her boyfriend so was relieved.

When he pulled back from the kiss he decided to ask question, "What were you doing?"

"You mean before you dragged me down here? Looking for my keys. Why did you drag me down here anyway? Not that I mind kissing you."

"I don't mean just then, I meant in the gym just before you left. I wanted to . . . talk to you."

Noticing the hesitation she raised her eyebrow considering what he had actually done, "I just wanted to remind you that you're mine. Are you sure you wanted to 'talk' to me?"

Confused when she explained herself he had never forgotten that fact, "I know I am yours. Why would you think I had forgotten?"

Blushing she felt stupid now and she didn't even know his excuse, "You and the woman, you were so cosy."

"That's Zoe, she is one of the owners along with her husband Aiden. I kind of come here a lot and are very friendly with the both of them but there is absolutely nothing going on between me and her and anyway, I have the sexiest girlfriend so don't need to look elsewhere."

"Oh."

Tilting her head up with his fingers he stared into her eyes, "Yeah, there is nothing and will never be anything going on between us I promise."

Sighing heavily she felt so stupid, "I just feel dumb right now."

Taking her hands in his he felt so bad for her, "Don't feel dumb, there is no need to feel dumb. Don't you think that a good thing came out of you being jealous? We got to make out."

Laughing she blushed, "That is true. We'd better go before someone notices us."

"Yes we should. Will I see you tomorrow or over the weekend?"

Talk of not seeing him all weekend dropped her mood considerably, "Unfortunately not. My brother is coming back into town for the weekend to celebrate my birthday so I won't be able to sneak out, we can talk though if you want?"

Taking hold of her hand he lifted it to his lips and kissed the back of it, "Call me whenever, I don't want to make things awkward for you so you can call me okay?"

Nodding her head she leant forward and kissed his cheek, "Thank you. I wish I could come and see you but maybe Monday?"

"Sure, Monday works for me."

Leading her towards the exit of the alley he dropped her hand at the last minute, "Get home safely and have a good weekend celebrating your birthday with your family."

She wanted so badly to kiss his cheek right now, "Thank you, I appreciate it."

The two separated to go to their own cars with Paul waiting to make sure she got away safely before he started his car. As he watched her leave his mind drifted to her plans for the weekend and it made him want to celebrate her birthday with her properly so now he had plans for the weekend himself.


	24. Chapter 24

It was Friday and Stephanie still had no idea if her brother was coming up for the weekend to visit, she had sent him a few texts asking and each time he had just brushed her off with 'I'll have to wait and see how things are'.

Frustrated that she may have ruined any chance of a good Friday night because her brother couldn't make up his damn mind when she returned home she slammed the front door shut in frustration.

Picking up the mail she began to flick through it but squealed and dropped the mail sending it scattering on the floor when there was a voice behind her, "Is that any way to treat the door?" Spinning around she immediately dropped her bag on the floor and went running at the person who had spoken to her and launched herself into his arms, "Oh my God you came! Why did you have to torture me like that?"

Laughing Shane hugged his sister tightly, "Well if you were expecting me I wouldn't have gotten this reaction now would I? The decision to come genuinely wasn't made until first thing this morning when I was able to submit this huge assignment I had that I was able to make the decision to come. So are you happy to see me?"

Squeezing her brother really tightly she delighted in him grabbing hold of her arms to release the pressure, "Yes I am happy to see you, I have barely seen you since like last Christmas and I missed you. You're going to be here all weekend right?"

"Of course, as long as Sunday afternoon is classed as 'all weekend' because I have to be back at College ready for class on Monday morning."

Pulling away from him she had an idea, "So I was thinking that Mom and Dad will probably work tomorrow so I thought we could go to the movies or something and just hang out?"

Leading his baby sister towards the lounge so they could sit down he collapsed onto the couch, "Sounds good to me. I spoke to Mom earlier and she said that they probably won't be home until 8 tonight so to get dinner for ourselves and then we'll do the big family dinner tomorrow."

Kicking off her shoes she tucked her feet up beneath her body, "Of course they are working late, what else should I expect?"

Sensing there was a lot of resentment there Shane wanted to smooth it out whilst he was here, "What's up baby sis?"

Shrugging her shoulders she didn't know what to say to him, "I don't want to ruin the weekend."

"Well you either tell me now willingly or I will torture it out of you."

Rolling her eyes she tossed a cushion at his head, "I rarely see them, they're never home because they are always working."

His eyes widened, he had no idea how much his parents were working and how little they were around for his sister at a time when she needed them the most, "You are joking right? Surely they are around for dinner every night with tonight being the exception?"

"Nope, even on my birthday they worked until nine because the client wanted to take them out to dinner after the meeting and they went. It's okay though, I'm quite used to being alone now so I just get on with it." What she didn't say was she was happy with them leaving her alone as it gave her more opportunities to spend time with her boyfriend.

Not wanting their evening to be dull and boring Shane had an idea, "Why don't we do dinner and a movie tonight? Just you and me having some brother/sister bonding whilst I am here."

That was definitely an idea she liked, "We should definitely do that. I need to find out where there is a movie theatre around here to see what is playing but I will grab my laptop a minute and we can look it up."

Jumping up from the couch Stephanie headed into the foyer to grab her bag but first she put the mail back on the table before she took the stairs two at a time to retrieve her laptop. Flopping down on the couch next to her brother she booted up her laptop and they began searching for something to watch. Just as they were settling on something to watch the sound of her phone beeping could be heard coming from the purse she had retrieved when she was upstairs. Bending down to retrieve it whilst she let her brother find the directions she tried not to smile when she saw Paul's name:

_Have a good weekend with your brother and then we'll celebrate your birthday on Monday xxx_

Stephanie was confused, she thought they already had celebrated her birthday on the actual day:

_Huh? I'm so confused, I thought we already had celebrated it?_

The response from him was almost immediate:

_Well maybe we haven't ;) I guess you won't know anything until Monday._

Stephanie couldn't help but pout in real life as she read his response:

_Well you are the worst boyfriend ever. I will look forward to Monday xxxxx_

Sending the text she put her phone back into her purse and sat back only for her brother to be staring at her, "What?!"

"So who had you go from smiling to pouting all in the space of three texts?"

Biting down on her lip she wished she could tell him the truth but she couldn't, "Just a friend."

Shane knew that look and he knew she was omitting some truth, "A boyfriend or just a friend? I am your brother and anything you say to me will be in confidence unless I feel that you are in some sort of danger."

She contemplated telling him the truth but thought better of it, "Nah, it's just a friend. So do you know where we are going now?"

"Nope but I do have directions so that should get us half of the way there and the rest of the way will be on a wing and a prayer."

Rolling her eyes she got up from he seat on the couch, "Well we have an hour until we have to leave so I am going to go and start on my homework."

Blinking Shane was shocked to hear those words come out of his sister's mouth, "Damn, you really have changed since moving to this place, you never used to be on top of your homework."

Shrugging her shoulders she wanted to hit her brother, "That is all lies and even when I wasn't on top of my homework it was only because I was hanging out with Kayleigh so it was all her fault."

"Well that is nice, blaming the person who isn't here to defend themself, some friend you are."

Poking her tongue out at him she just left the room before she didn't get any homework started.

Having sent a text to their Mom before they headed out to the movie to say that they were having dinner and a movie together and to not worry about dinner for when they got home the pair had a really good time at the movies before they went to have dinner at a local eatery.

Stephanie was enjoying catching up with her brother, she didn't realise exactly how much she had missed spending time with him until right now but when the door opened and she saw Belle and a few of the other girls walk in she groaned and ducked her head.

Looking over his shoulder Shane was confused as it was only a couple of girls who entered, "What's wrong? Don't you like them?"

Raising her head slightly to look at her brother she didn't want to come across like a bitch but there was no way to say it nicely, "I don't like anybody here, they're all stuck up and posh. I mean those girls are kind of my friends but this is about me spending time with you whilst you are here and I don't want them to interrupt."

Unfortunately for Stephanie her silent prayers to the Gods weren't answered as Belle made her way over to their table with the girls, "I thought you were spending the weekend with the family and not going on a hot date."

Shane laughed as Stephanie pretended to gag, "Belle this is Shane, my brother. He is home from College visiting for the weekend so we are catching up over dinner before we do the big family thing tomorrow."

Unable to keep her eyes off of her friend's brother there was one thing on Belle's mind, "So how long are you around for Shane?"

Amused by the way she was staring at him there was a small smirk on his face, "I am here spending time with my baby sister and parents until Sunday when I go back to College."

Frustrated that her evening with her brother was being interrupted she was ready for her friends to leave, "Well now you know the story of why my brother is here and how long he is staying can we please get back to our evening? I haven't seen my brother properly in roughly six months and I **really** want to make the most of my time with him."

"Sure. Maybe next time you're in town for a little bit longer the two of us can hang out together."

"We'll see when I will be back."

When Belle walked away Shane laughed at his sister's grumpy face, "Awww, don't be mad that your brother is a ladies man."

Glaring at him she shook her head, "God I hate you sometimes."

Blowing a playful kiss in his sister's direction he changed the subject whilst they waited for their dinner to arrive.

A couple of hours later and the pair arrived home with smiles on their faces and laughing as they walked through the front door. Their smiles faded when they saw their Mom stood waiting for them, "What? We didn't break our curfew and we told you where we were."

Stephanie rolled her eyes at her brother, "You just have to make me look good don't you?"

Smirking he patted her arm, "Don't worry, you have plenty of time to make yourself look bad when I am gone."

Shaking her head at her children's bickering Linda couldn't help but smile, "Well neither of you are in trouble, I was just going to make myself coffee when I heard keys in the door so I stopped to find out if either of you wanted a cup and to see how your evening went?"

"I had so much fun, it was so kind of fun getting to spend some time with Shane."

Pretending to look offended he looked at his sister shocked, "How mean are you? I'm taking your birthday gift back."

Laughing she hugged him, "You know I love you really. I'm going to head upstairs and do some more of my homework to try and finish it off."

Watching as Stephanie took the stairs two at a time Linda motioned to the kitchen, "Care to join me and give me your opinion on how she's doing?"

"You don't need to worry, she mostly seems happy although she doesn't really have any friends around here she can connect with so she might get a bit lonely and isolated not having anybody here to spend time with."

Frowning Linda was concerned, "So what you are saying is that I need to keep an eye on her?"

He knew he shouldn't take the swipe at his Mom because she **did** care about both of them even when she didn't show it but he had to for Stephanie's sake, "What I am saying is that you need to make more time for her. I'm not saying you need to be all up in her business all of the time but at least make time to have dinner with her a couple of nights a week or take her out and spend some one on one time with her of a weekend just so she knows that you care."

Flipping the kettle on she knew that he had a point and she was going to try her best to change things to make them better.

When Stephanie reached her bedroom she shut the door firmly and threw herself onto the bed, she would do her homework in a moment but first she wanted to make a call. Rolling onto her back she picked her phone up and scrolled though the contacts until she reached her boyfriend's name and pressed 'call'.

Paul was just watching some trashy TV whilst he made a list of everything he needed to buy at the store tomorrow when his phone rang. Not wanting to be distracted from his list he didn't bother checking the caller ID before he picked up, "Paul speaking."

Smiling at the sound of his voice it made her evening better, "Hi."

His list got pushed to the side and he sat up a little taller, "Hi you. How was your evening?"

"It was so much fun. I went to dinner and a movie with Shane and then I came home and called my sexy boyfriend. What cha doing?"

"Well I bet your boyfriend is thrilled to know that he helped make your evening fun. I am currently making a shopping list, it is so fucking boring."

Laughing he sounded exactly like her Dad and brother when shopping was mentioned in their company, "You do need food so you can eat and so you don't waste away on me."

Raising his eyebrow he couldn't help but tease her, "Oh I see, you are only interested in me for my body are you? I think I can live with that."

Playing with the blanket on her bed she was falling for him so hard, "I think I can live with you. I should probably go and get on with some homework, I just wanted to hear your voice though."

"Any time you need to hear my voice this weekend just call or if you just want contact text me. If I can't answer your call then leave a message and I will call you back. Then on Monday we can make up for not being able to see each other at all this weekend when you and I celebrate your birthday in a top secret way."

Pouting she pushed herself up into a seated position, "Top secret? Can't I get a clue at all? Please?"

Looking at the list in front of him he knew the answer was no, "No you can't, not even the tiniest of clues as to what I have planned for you but I am hoping you will like it."

Grumbling she climbed off the bed, "You're so mean but I still like you. I will let you get back to your top secret planning but thank you for this, it means a lot."

"You're welcome beautiful, as I said any time. Have fun with your homework."

Opening her folder she rolled her eyes, "Oh yes, Maths is such fun, I don't know how I can possibly contain it all."

"It is fun, just think of all of those times you're going to use quadratic equations later in life as you work out your shopping bill."

Unable to stop herself from laughing out loud at that statement she was about to reply when the door opened and her brother stuck his head in looking guilty when he saw that she was on the phone, "Oh sorry, I didn't realise you were on the phone, I just wanted to know what was so funny about your homework but now I know."

Waiting for her brother to leave and shut the door and giving him an extra moment to leave the immediate area she turned her attention back to the phone, "I guess I really should go now. Goodnight Paul."

"Night Steph."

Hanging up the phone she had a smile on her face and her homework didn't seem so dull anymore.


	25. Chapter 25

Rolling out of bed just after nine Stephanie yawned as she made her way down the stairs, it was delightful to have a lie in on a Saturday morning but her mind was drifting from her boyfriend to her parents and then to her brother.

Walking into the kitchen she went straight for the fridge to get herself a glass of orange juice. Sitting down at the island she wondered where everybody was as the house was silent but just as soon as she asked herself the question the back door opened and Shane walked in, "Hey."

Smiling at his sister he leant on the island opposite her, "Well Sleeping Beauty finally woke up. Mom and Dad are at work but they said they should be back at lunchtime."

Rolling her eyes she downed the rest of her glass, "Of course they are. At least they are in this state and are only working a half day. Have you had breakfast?"

"Not yet, I was contemplating what to have as I went outside to explore the back yard as I hadn't really seen it yet. How about you go and get dressed and we do IHoP and then we go to the mall for a bit? Anything to get out of the house really because I am just sick of being stuck inside."

Pancakes and a trip the the mall whilst her parents worked? That idea definitely worked for her, "Sounds like my idea of fun. Give me twenty minutes and we can go."

Heading upstairs she went straight into the bathroom as she didn't want to keep her brother waiting as he liked to whine a lot.

Forty minutes later and the two of them were sat in a booth at IHoP ready to order when Stephanie finally checked her phone for the first time this morning to see she had missed a couple of texts.

_Kayleigh:_

_Did your brother get home for the weekend? Do you have any gossip for me?_

_Paul:_

_Be nice to your brother whilst he is there, you'll soon be complaining that you haven't seen him in ages so make the most of it._

Watching the smile that graced his sister's lips intrigued Shane, "Who has you smiling now?"

Lifting her head she shrugged, "Just somebody saying that I should be nice to you and make the most of you whilst you are here as soon I'll be complaining because I haven't seen you in ages."

"That's a wise . . . person. I'm not sure if they are male or female but I like them. I am really glad I worked so hard to finish that assignment so I could come home, I didn't realise how much I missed you until I was here spending time with you. I am so glad that we are making the most of this time."

Normally at this point she would pretend to gag and tease him but she felt the same way as he did, "I am too. Next time you are around we should definitely do more of this, we should make the time for each other before our lives take off and we don't have any."

"Deal."

The two of them enjoyed their breakfast and then headed to the mall, Shane knew it would be torture for him but it would be worth it.

First thing on Saturday morning Paul found himself at the mall, normally this would be the last place you would find him but he had a gift to pick up so it had to be done. Walking into the first jewellery store he could find he went straight to their displays of necklaces looking for the perfect one until he was interrupted, "Can I help you Sir?"

Squinting a little to get a better look at one of the necklaces in the cabinet on the wall he nodded his head, "I hope so. I want to buy my girlfriend a necklace for her birthday, I don't want it to be too flashy as that isn't her but it needs to be pretty."

"Well that narrows it down." Turning to the wall she pulled out a couple of necklaces before she removed two from the counter between them, "What about one of these?"

Looking between them all he was drawn to a purple heart with a tiny little star also part of the clasp that held the heart to the chain, "I absolutely adore this one, I think it is perfect for her."

Smiling brightly she put all of the others away before she packaged it up into a little box, "I think she will love it, I have it in green and I adore it as it goes with so many outfits."

Having second thoughts he played with his wallet as he pulled it from his pocket, "It's not too much when we haven't been together long is it?"

"Absolutely not Sir, I think she will love that you have gone to the effort of picking out something you think she will love and not gone with some flowers and chocolates like most men do even when you have been together years."

Laughing softly he handed over his credit card, "Well thank you for your help."

Once he had paid for the necklace he headed for the store as he needed food for his cupboard and for what he had planned for Stephanie on Monday.

When he finally arrived home after all of his shopping he put all of the food away before he collapsed on the couch, never again was he going to be so thoughtful . . . well until the next big event anyway.

Shane and Stephanie returned home from the mall to see their parent's cars in the driveway, "They really were home by lunch. I think your visit means they actually want to be home."

Rolling his eyes at his sister he shook his head, "Stop being like that, you know they love you."

"Eh, they wouldn't be able to tell you anything about my life so I don't know if I could agree with you on that."

"Give them a chance, I'm sure they are trying their hardest to juggle work and home. I understand that they have failed a lot so far but take this as the first step in them trying harder."

Frowning she didn't know know so decided to vent to the one person who was impartial and texted Paul:

_My brother thinks I need to cut my parents some slack and to give them a chance but I don't think I should._

Sending the text she silently climbed out of the car and just thought about what Shane had said.

Figuring his sister was venting about him to Kayleigh he let the text slide and followed her getting out of the car so they could head inside.

Trying to decide between going to the gym or taking a nap Paul felt his phone vibrate against his ass so shifting on the couch he removed it from his pocket and read the text, there was something nice about the fact that she was coming to him to vent so it was only fair he replied:

_I think he's right, I think you should give them another chance to prove to you how much they care. Give them a chance, you'll regret it if you don't._

Sitting on the couch she was watching as her brother discussed something with her Dad whilst their Mom was in the kitchen when her phone beeped so removing her phone from he purse she grumbled when she read the text and threw it back into her purse out of irritation.

Watching his sister he noticed the irritation on her face, "What's wrong Steph?"

"I vented to my b . . . friend about what you said and they think you're right, they think that I should give them another chance."

Moving closer to his sister he had noticed he say the letter 'b' before friend and he wondered if she did have a boyfriend but if she did he was certainly good for her, "Whoever said that is a smart person and I don't mean it just because they agreed with me. Changing subjects, kind of, whoever they are I like them if they are the same person as yesterday because they can make you smile so easily. It's not Kayleigh though right?"

Shaking her head she wasn't sure what to say to him, "It's not Kayleigh."

At that moment she was called into the kitchen to help with lunch so she was spared the grilling from her brother so she was more than happy to help.

Sitting down at the table as a family they had a large late lunch celebrating Stephanie's birthday and spending time together as one whilst they were in the same state, "So tell us about your new school Stephanie?"

There were so many things that she could say about school and yet only one of them was positive and that one thing she couldn't share, "Well let's see. Most of the teachers suck, the boys are all preppy stuck up assholes and the girls are . . . I don't even know what they are but if I had to say something about them I would say they are all fake."

Frowning Linda did not like that, "Would you like us to transfer you to a different school?"

"No!" Shrinking at the look of shock she was receiving from all three other people at the table she quickly had to cover, "It was hard enough moving to a new state and a new school for the first week of term in my final year, I really don't want to move to another new school over a month in."

His parents may have bought her excuse for the outburst but Shane most certainly didn't however now was not the time or the place to confront her with his suspicions about what was going on, that would come later when they were alone.

After lunch they all sat in the lounge so Stephanie could finally be given her presents which ended up consisting of a spa weekend, a years worth of manicures and pedicures and a ring with matching earrings. Hugging her parents Stephanie sat back down thinking about whether to take her Mom or Kayleigh on the spa weekend with her but as she saw Shane's face she got nervous wondering what his present was, "It's not like dog shit is it?"

Laughing Shane shook his head, "Definitely not. I really hope you like it though, I spent forever looking for the perfect gift for you."

When Shane handed over a small box she was as nervous as he apparently was as she unwrapped the paper and opened the box to reveal a charm bracelet, "Oh my God, it is absolutely beautiful."

Hugging his sister back as she practically tackled him he was relieved she liked it, "Really?! I had the charm bracelet made from scratch so every individual charm means something and you can have more added as and when you please."

Sitting back down she couldn't take her eyes off the bracelet as she looked through each charm trying to figure out the meaning behind each one of them, "So perfect."

It was in that moment there that Linda truly realised that Shane was right, that Stephanie really did need her and she was determined to be around for her more . . . starting next week, "I need to get some work done so I will leave you kids to it."

Vince was close behind her leaving Stephanie alone with Shane. Closing the lid of the box holding her bracelet she looked up at her brother and frowned, "See? They can't even take the afternoon to spend with us. I guess I will go and do some homework but thank you for the bracelet, I absolutely love it."

Heading upstairs Stephanie sat down at her desk and began her homework but after a little while she gave in because she was feeling too despondent so decided to call her boyfriend hoping his voice would make her smile and lift her mood.

Shane sat in the lounge thinking over what Stephanie had said and the way she had behaved and he decided as a protective older brother he needed to ask her about it because he needed to know if his instinct was right and most importantly he needed to know that she was safe and happy. Getting up from his seat he headed for the stairs.

Moving from the desk to her bed she called him before she crawled onto the bed and lay down waiting to see if he would answer.

Paul had just pulled up outside the gym when his phone began to ring, digging around in his gym bag he eventually pulled it out, "Hello beautiful, everything okay?"

Noticing that he took a while to answer and sounded a bit frazzled she was suddenly feeling bad for calling, "You're busy, I'm sorry I shouldn't have called."

"Wait, I'm not busy so you're not interrupting." He didn't know what was wrong but clearly it was something, "I have just pulled up outside of the gym because I was going to get a workout in to make my Saturday extra productive but I always have time for you."

"Are you sure? If you would rather workout now and we talk after that's okay."

Paul wasn't stupid, he knew that out wasn't a real out and he didn't want to take it anyway, "I am positive. So how's your day going? Did you get your gifts yet?"

Smiling softly she was so relieved he was willing to talk to her, "Yes I did. My parents got this spa weekend, a years supply of manis and pedis and a ring and earrings set and my brother bought me the most beautiful charm bracelet and apparently each charm means something but I haven't worked them all out yet." Rolling off the bed she went back to her desk and picked up the bracelet before she went back to the bed to attempt to put it on as she talked.

Listening to her as she spoke about the different gifts it was clear in the way she spoke about how she felt about the people who had given them to her, "I look forward to seeing this charm bracelet then. Are you big on jewellery?"

"Pretty jewellery only. I really need to get myself a new necklace as I do prefer necklaces as they are so versatile but depending on the piece it depends on how I feel about it. I don't think I will ever take this bracelet off, it means so much to me and is so pretty."

Paul's mind drifted to his own gift for her, "I hope you will like my gift for you as much as you like that bracelet."

Biting down on her lip as she balanced her phone between her ear and her shoulder and attempted to do up the clasp she hated that it wouldn't do up and she would need help, "I am sure I will, it involves me spending time with you so it will be the best gift ever."

"There is an actual gift and not just our afternoon is the gift."

Her eyes widened in surprise, "Wait, really? You didn't have to do that."

Before Paul could say anything Shane stuck his head around the door wanting to set his mind to rest, "Steph . . . oh, I didn't realise you were on the phone. I'll leave you to it but call me when you're done so I can talk to you please."

Sensing that it was an important conversation she decided to leave Paul to his workout, "I will let you go as my brother wants to talk to me but I'll talk to you later."

"Whenever you want beautiful but just so you know, I really did buy you a gift and before you think about asking you won't get any hints."

Pouting he was so mean to her, "Ugh, you are so mean to me. Bye."

Hanging up the phone she turned her attention to her brother, "So what can I help you with?"

Walking into the room Shane shut the door behind him, "Do you have a boyfriend?"


	26. Chapter 26

Stephanie's eyes widened and she tried to show no visible signs of panic despite the panic she was feeling, "Can you help me do the bracelet up please?"

Moving to the bed Shane sat down beside her and did the bracelet up for her before he spoke again, "There is the bracelet done up and now you are going to answer me as to whether you have a boyfriend or not. If you don't I will play dirty and I will find out somehow."

Moving back on the bed she crossed her legs trying to sit comfortably and put a little distance between them out of fear, "What makes you think I have a boyfriend? Did you not hear what I said about all of the boys in my school? Do you really think someone like that is my type?"

Turning to look at his sister he couldn't figure out why she was dancing around the question, "No I don't think they're your type normally but it doesn't mean that you haven't given one of them a chance or you haven't met somebody outside of school. The reason I think you have a boyfriend is because of your different reactions to the texts and earlier it sounded like you were going to say 'boyfriend' but stopped yourself. You know I don't **really** care if you have one right? As long as he is treating you right and you are happy then I am happy."

She decided to be somewhat honest with her brother because she knew he wouldn't back off until she was and she couldn't risk him playing dirty or telling their parents, "Okay fine, you are right when you say that I have a boyfriend but Mom and Dad don't know and more importantly it is really early days between us so I don't want to say too much incase it doesn't work out."

He was actually relieved to hear that she had a boyfriend because her behaviour made a little more sense, "Don't worry, I won't tell them. Where did you meet him?"

"We met out and about around town, I was sort of new here and wasn't looking for anything but then he came along and well the rest is history."

Looking at her suspiciously he didn't trust her to be entirely telling him the truth, "How is it 'early days' if you met him when you were new here."

Frowning she crossed her arms and pouted, "If you must know we didn't get together straight away, we kind of bumped into each other a few times before we even thought about going anywhere with anything."

He mostly believed what she was saying but as a protective older brother he had questions, "So how old is he?"

Inside she was cursing her brother for being nosey as she had to somehow bluff her way through this without him getting suspicious, "He is a couple of years older than I am but he is so sweet and treats me so well."

Now Shane was starting to get more suspicious, "An older guy? Is he pressuring you into sex?"

"What?!" Looking at her brother like he was crazy she shook her head, "He isn't, he wouldn't. He treats me like a Princess and he would never do anything like that to me. If you want to know what kind of guy he is I'll tell you, we have barely been dating long and he has already organised a party for just the two of us and apparently he has bought me a gift for my birthday and he sounds really nervous about it."

"What do you think he has bought you?" Shane laughed at the little whine that passed his sister's lips, "I guess he won't tell you huh? You never were one to be patient about your gifts which is why I always deny having bought you one. It's only a couple of days until you get to see it but now I really want to know what he bought you."

She knew that was as good as getting a blessing from her brother so she was going to take it, "I'll text you . . ."

"A picture, you will text me a picture."

Moving closer she hugged her brother, "I'll text you a picture."

Hugging his sister back he smiled, "For me to keep your secret I expect weekly updates on him okay? I need to know that he continues to treat you well and the second there are any problems or you need me to handle him I will be here in a flash, nobody hurts my sister and gets away with it."

Sitting beside him again she nodded her head and would agree to anything if he promised to keep it a secret, "As long as you don't tell a soul I promise to call you every week to tell you he is treating me well. So tell me about your love life."

The rest of Shane's visit went far too fast for Stephanie and soon she was hugging him goodbye, "Promise me you won't leave it so long to visit next time."

Kissing his sister's cheek he squeezed her a little and lifted her off the ground laughing when she squealed, "I promise I will be home for Thanksgiving and if all goes well you know who may come aswell."

She couldn't help but smile as she was dying to meet his girlfriend, their parents didn't know much about her but Shane had told his sister a lot and she couldn't wait to finally meet her, "I hope so, it is about damn time."

Sticking his tongue out at her he climbed in his car and rolled the window down, "Be good Stephanie and I will see you all at Thanksgiving."

As soon as Shane had been waved off Stephanie headed back to her room to finish her homework off in the hopes of being homework free on Monday so she could spend more time with Paul.

It was Sunday afternoon and Paul was making some alterations to the lesson plan for the week when his phone beeped:

_Diana:_

_So what happened with that girl? Did you manage to stay away from her?_

Reading the message he tossed the phone back onto the table, he really didn't want to deal with a lecture from her right now, he knew that she meant well and he knew he was crazy for doing this but the heart wants what it wants.

Thirty minutes later and he was just finishing off the alterations when his phone beeped again, hoping it was Stephanie he snatched it and immediately wished he hadn't when he saw his friend's name:

_You can't avoid me forever Paul, I will keep texting you until you reply._

Putting the phone down he finished his work and put it all in a neat pile before he picked his phone back up and went into the lounge and collapsed onto the couch, this was going to be an incredibly painful text conversation.

It took him three attempts to formulate a reply to her as he knew every single one of the was wrong and he finally settled on the one that was the least wrong of them all:

_Well it's nice of you to ask but I am fine thank you :-P Things with the girl worked out for the best._

The text had barely finished sending when Paul's phone began to ring and reading the screen he rolled his eyes as he accepted the call, "What is it Diana?"

"What the fuck did you do Paul?"

Taken back by her bluntness he was flustered, "I . . . uh . . . what?"

They had been friends for so long that she knew when he was lying to her and he may not have been telling her an outright lie but he was definitely omitting a fair amount of truth, "You are keeping things from me, I know you are because I know you. What is the truth Paul?"

"Bah." So that was not the most intelligent response ever but he had forgotten how well she knew him. Taking a deep breath he tried to think of a more intelligent response but failed so decided to go with the truth, "Yes I am keeping things from you but only because I know you won't approve and I just don't want to deal with your disapproval, I would rather we stayed friends because you stayed in the dark."

She didn't need to be Einstein to know what what the truth was, "You are either sleeping with her or dating her aren't you?"

Taking a deep breath he simply said, "Dating." Now all he had to do was wait for the explosion.

Diana sat there silently as she tried to process what he had just told her, she knew he was an adult and could make his own decisions but when he was putting his career in jeopardy her brain just wouldn't let her allow him to be an adult and let him live his life. Rubbing her stomach as she felt a twinge she decided to put him out of his misery, "You are actually insane. I love you to death Paul but you are putting your entire life on the line for some girl that could be nothing but someone looking for an easy A grade. How do you know that the two of you are going to last? How do you know that she isn't after you for an easy mark? How do you know she won't ruin your life?"

"We met before she knew I was a teacher, before I knew she was one of my students, nothing about our relationship indicates any sort of malice on her part. I really like her Dee, I can't imagine not being with her right now. I know that when this year ends she is going to go to college and maybe I am setting myself up for a fall but I just have to do this otherwise I am always going to wonder what could have been."

She wasn't sure what to say to him, she thought he was insane but it was also possible that if he hadn't have tried it he could have missed out on the one. Rubbing her stomach again as she felt another twinge she sighed, "I want to trust in your judgement but I don't want to see you get hurt or for you to lose everything and end up in jail."

He wanted her to trust him too but he had an idea, "I have an idea that will hopefully put your mind at ease but it will take me a few days to put it into action so just trust me okay?"

"I trust that you are going to try to put my mind at ease Paul so I give you a maximum of a week and then I will be harassing you all over again."

Breathing a sigh of relief he now had a week to convince Stephanie to go along with his idea but he wasn't going to think about that now, "So how are you Dee and when can I expect my Godchild? I am getting impatient."

Growling lowly he was lucky he was not in the same room as her, "Be thankful I can't reach you right now because I would punch you. It should be any day now but it depends on when this baby wants to join the world so if I were you I would quit whining because I will come over there and I will hurt you."

"I see you are as patient as ever. I think I am going to let you go before I say something else to piss you off. Take care of yourself and make sure to let me know when you have had the baby because I'll come and visit in hospital."

Her face softened when she heard what his plans were and she ignored his mention about ending the call, "I will let you know when we are home, things are busy enough as it is with you and work so if I tell you when we are home then you can visit when you have time and you won't have to go so fucking far out of your way to visit."

Unable to stop the small laugh passing his lips at her use of the English language, "You don't have to worry about me, I will drive all the way across the country to see you if I have to."

Hissing as she felt another twinge in her stomach she decided it may be best to end the call before he knew anything, "Thank you Paul. I need to go and use the ladies so I will talk to you soon but I will hold you to putting my mind at ease over the girl soon."

He couldn't help but feel like something bad was about to go down, "Take care Diana. I will keep you updated over the week so you know what I will do to put your mind at ease."

"I know you will because I know you won't want to deal with me if you don't."

Ending the call Paul couldn't help but stare at his phone, something didn't feel right but he had no idea what it was.

Getting up from her seat Diana went in search of her husband relieved to find him in the dining room sorting out some bills, "So I think I might be in labour."

Her husband looked up from the bills in front of him with a mix of anxiety and happiness on his face, "Think or know?"

"I'm pretty sure. Contractions aren't too close together right now and my waters haven't broken so there is no need to panic yet but you know just so you know."

Moving over to his wife he wrapped his arms around her as best he could, "I love you."

Closing her eyes she gulped as panic gripped her entire body, "I love you too."

After ending the call with Diana Paul had a gift to wrap and some food to prepare ready for tomorrow so he got up to start on wrapping the gift first. Tomorrow would be the first time in a long time that he had gone all out for a girlfriend so hopefully it wouldn't backfire.


	27. Chapter 27

This is for **Chloe**, Happy Birthday, I hope you enjoy this :)

* * *

It was funny how excited Paul was that it was Monday morning, he was pretty sure he had never been this excited before but he really wanted the opportunity to celebrate Stephanie's birthday with her and he hoped that her gift would be a nice little bonus for her.

Hearing the volume outside of his office increase he knew that all of the girls were arriving for the lesson so he headed out to go and set up a series of cones to have a little basket throwing competition.

Stephanie hadn't taken her charm bracelet off all weekend so being without it made her feel naked. She didn't even realise that she was holding her wrist until Belle nudged her, "Everything okay with the wrist?"

Immediately letting go of her wrist she nodded her head, "Yeah. My brother bought me the most beautiful charm bracelet for my birthday and until today I haven't taken it off since he gave it to me so it is weird being without it."

Walking into the gym Stephanie looked at the cones and raised her eyebrow, "This looks painful."

Belle laughed at her comment, "Wow, you really think the worst don't you?"

Shaking his head at the girls as they laughed and joked together Paul wasn't going to take slacking today, "It sounds like you all had a wonderful weekend but the time for fun is over, now it is time for hard work."

Belle couldn't resist taking a dig at him, "Did you not have a good weekend Mr Levesque?"

Bouncing the basketball as everybody gathered around clearly interested in what he had to say he knew he shouldn't be drawn into this conversation but he couldn't help himself, "Actually I did have a good weekend thank you, I got lots of preparation done in time for my girlfriend's birthday and I bought her a gift that she will hopefully like so I'm feeling rather proud of myself."

All eyes were on him as Stephanie slowly shrank into herself, she couldn't believe he had freely admitted to the class that he had a girlfriend especially as now people wanted to know more.

"When is her birthday?

"What did you buy her?"

"Is she pretty?"

"How long have you been dating?"

Putting his hand up he was not going to get into a discussion on his personal life, "I have already told you too much about my life but I will tell you that she is the most beautiful woman in the world to me."

Looking at the floor Stephanie was pretty sure her face was bright red and there was no way she could pass that off so she needed to exercise and fast. Luckily for her once the girls had stopped cheering him Paul instructed them to do a couple of laps of the gym and to stretch before he would tell them what the lesson was.

He had slyly been watching Stephanie's reactions as he spoke and he thought it was adorable the way she had gotten smaller and smaller but hopefully tonight he would find out that it wasn't out of embarrassment.

As class ended and he dismissed them all he noticed that Stephanie was hanging back and he watched and waited as he picked up the cones to see if she was slow or if she was waiting for him and he received his answer when she appeared in front of him, "Hi."

Blushing she felt stupid as he had only said one word to her but it was just how he made her feel, "Hi. I just wanted to see if we were on for tonight still? I didn't want to text you incase the girls were watching so thought I would quickly ask."

"Yes we are on for tonight if you want us to be anyway, I won't force it on you."

Rolling her eyes she shook her head, "I will see you just after four then."

Laughing he watched as she turned and ran off, everything about her gave him even more reasons to fall in love.

When his day finally ended Paul hurried home as there were just a few final touches to put to the setup for their "party" before she arrived and he wanted to change also.

Slipping out of his track pants he pulled on some jeans and a t-shirt that showed off all of his muscles before he went back downstairs and grabbed the fruit and non-alcoholic champagne from the fridge along with two glasses and took it all back upstairs to the bedroom. Making sure that the candles were arranged in safe places and that he had the two boxes ready for Stephanie when she arrived he sat on the bed to just wait as he wanted to light the candles at the very last second.

Finishing school for the day Stephanie was sure the girls were acting strangely but she wasn't paying them a whole lot of attention as she wanted to get home quickly to change and go to Paul's. Waving goodbye to the girls she climbed into her car and drove off looking in her mirror briefly to see them all in a circle clearly deep in conversation. Shaking thoughts of the girls from her head she focussed on the one thing that she was excited for, her gift.

Arriving home from school she took her bags inside and dumped them on the floor of her room before she slid out of her clothes whilst walking into her closet flicking through her clothes until she found a dress she liked the look of and pulled it off the hanger and then bent down to pick up a pair of shoes before she went to get dressed.

As soon as she was dressed she managed to put her charm bracelet on before she added some light make up as her curlers heated up and as soon as they were at temperature she added a few gentle curls to her hair, if this was going to be her party she was going to dress like she was going to one.

Satisfied with her appearance she glanced at the clock proud of herself that she was home, changed and ready to go again in fifteen minutes. Making sure she had her keys and phone she left the house and jumped in her car, she was so excited but yet so nervous.

Hearing the doorbell ring Paul jumped off the bed and immediately lit the candles he had laid around the room before he practically ran down the stairs to let her in. Pulling open the door he gasped at the sight before him, "Oh my God."

Gulping at the reaction she almost took a step back as she was so embarrassed, "I'm sorry. I just thought if we were going to have a party I would dress up a little. I'll go home now."

Grabbing her arm before she could leave he didn't realise she would take it so badly, "Steph this isn't a bad thing, this is an 'oh my God she is fucking gorgeous and I can't believe she is my girlfriend' thing. Could you maybe come inside before the neighbours think I'm like preventing you from leaving or something and call the cops?"

Biting down on her lip nervously she nodded her head and walked past him gulping when she heard the door shut, what if when she turned around he took back what he had said? Sighing she took a deep breath and turned to face him, "So?"

"So you look amazing and I definitely approve. You didn't have to dress up but boy am I glad you did. Before you think I am a creep for taking you to my bedroom for your party I am hoping that it will all make sense once we are there."

Closing the short distance between them she wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed a kiss to his lips smiling when his hands were soon on her hips and he returned the kiss. When she pulled back from the kiss she didn't remove her arms from around his neck, "That is just for being you."

Pulling her closer again by the hips he slipped his arms right around her waist, "Hmm, I should be me more often if that is the reaction I get. Are you ready to enter your party?"

Nodding her head she slid her hands down his arms as he released her waist she took hold of his hand before he led her up the stairs.

Stood outside of his bedroom he released her hand and moved to stand behind her, "Ladies first, it is your party and you should naturally be the first person to enter it."

The fact that he wanted he to be the first person to enter made her nervous but pushing bad thoughts to the side she opened the door and slowly pushed it open gasping at the sight in front of her. Spinning around she tried to take it all in but it was just so perfect.

Watching her as she spun around and then began walking around he made his way over to the bed and took a seat on the edge, "Just so you know this isn't some creepy plot to get you into bed, I just thought it would be the perfect little setting."

Silently walking over to the bed she jumped onto it behind him backwards not caring what happened to her skirt as she spread herself out across the bed, "It is perfect, it will be so much easier to cuddle you and relax."

Twisting around to look at her he pulled her skirt back down for her, "I like the sound of that. When you are ready for your gifts make room for me to join you and you can have them."

Pouting she was not impressed but she understood, "Okay fine. Thank you for fixing my skirt though, you're a gentleman."

Smirking a little that was one thing he didn't think she would ever call him but he didn't even mention it as she moved up the bed and he crawled up and sat beside her before he leant down to pick up the two boxes from the floor, "One of these is a proper gift and one of these isn't really, which would you prefer first?"

Intrigued by a 'not a real gift' she knew what she was going for, "I'll take the one that isn't a real gift please."

Passing over the box he shifted on the bed as she opened the box up, "I promise this isn't a metaphor for being the key to my heart, it's too soon for that but it is the key to my house. I thought it would be a lot easier if you could let yourself in when you come over so I had you a key made. If you think it is too soon or creepy then you don't have to take it."

Placing the box on the bed she turned to face him, "Can you not keep saying you don't mean things to sound creepy please? They don't sound creepy at all, it is all sweet and thoughtful and just because you are a little older than me it does not make it creepy."

Leaning forward he pressed a kiss to her lips, "You are hot when you get feisty but okay, I promise no more talk about being creepy, well from me."

Smacking his leg gently she turned back around and leant against his chest, "No more talk of creepy at all."

Slipping his arm around her waist as she sighed happily he just held her, "So what do you think about the key?"

"I think you are onto a winning idea, as long as you trust me. Now I have a key I can just let myself in and won't have to stand in the street waiting to be let in and worrying incase someone from school sees me. I'm thirsty."

Reluctantly slipping out from beneath her he went and grabbed the champagne and glasses, "If madam cares to hold the glasses I will pop the cork."

Intrigued by what he was giving her to drink she took the glasses from him and watched as he popped the cork from the bottle and then took one glass at a time and filled it up before he passed it back to her.

Once she was holding two glasses of champagne he placed the bottle back on the side before he joined her on the bed again and took a glass from her, "Shall we toast to your eighteenth birthday and then you can get your other gift?"

Carefully moving on the bed she nodded her head, "What are we drinking?"

"Non-alcoholic champagne, apart from the fact that you are too young to drink I didn't want you to drink and drive with even the smallest bit of alcohol in your system."

Before she thought about what she was saying the words were out of her mouth, "Maybe one night I could have a drink and stay over."

He had never thought about it but now she had said it he did, "We'll see." Wanting to quickly change the subject he raised his glass, "Here is to growing older and wiser and to the beginning of a long and happy relationship."

Raising her glass she couldn't help but blush at his words, "Here here."

Clinking their glasses together the two took a sip of their champagne before Stephanie put her glass on the top and looked at him eagerly, "Can I have my gift now . . . please?" Adding in some puppy dog eyes she was desperate to see what he had gotten her after all of the effort he had gone to.

Passing over the remaining box he put his glass down and rubbed his palms on his pants to dry them as she began to open the paper.

Barely containing her excitement she managed to not rip the paper apart like a mad woman and quickly but carefully disposed of it confused by the jewellery box she found beneath it, she was not expecting jewellery at all. Taking a deep breath she slowly exhaled before she opened the box immediately gasping when she saw what was inside, "Oh my God." Fingering the heart and the star she didn't even know what to say about it so she just removed it from the box, "Can you put it on please?"

Taking the necklace from her he could feel his fingers trembling as she hadn't said a whole lot and he wasn't sure if this was just for show, "I guess. Don't feel like you have to wear it for me though if you don't like it, we can change it."

Shaking her head vigorously she would fight him if he even tried it, "No we won't, I absolutely love it, it's amazing and I **really** want to wear it so please?"

Watching as she turned so her back was to him he carefully put the necklace around her neck doing it up before his hands landed on her shoulders and his lips gently touched the back of her neck, "Happy Birthday beautiful."

Moaning lowly at the touch of his lips she turned around and bent forward pressing a kiss to his lips, "Thank you for being an amazing boyfriend, truly the best."

Settling down on the bed she lay down in his arms with her head on his chest, this birthday had been perfect and so had her boyfriend.


	28. Chapter 28

Stephanie sighed happily as she relaxed back against Paul on the bed, "This is the best birthday party ever."

"But all we have done is lay here on the bed together."

Shifting slightly in his arms she raised her head from his chest to look at him, "I know, but it is only people I like at this party and I don't have to play nice with anybody else."

Rubbing her arm he had to admit that her logic was flawless, "Well how can I argue with that logic? Would madam like some fruit?"

Sitting up she nodded her head, "I'd love some please."

Getting up he grabbed the bowl of fruit and bought it back to the bed, "I didn't want you to get all full before your dinner."

Giggling she grabbed a chocolate covered strawberry, "Thanks."

When she popped the strawberry into her mouth he bit down on his lip and quickly distracted himself from his thoughts, "So tell me about this bracelet."

Holding her hand out towards him she allowed him to inspect it whilst she finished her strawberry and only when she had did she allow herself to speak, "I don't know what they all mean, I just know that I love it and if you combine that with my necklace from you I have been spoiled with gifts I love."

"You don't have to say you love the necklace if you don't, I don't mind."

Moving the bowl of fruit to the side she moved to straddle his legs, "Stop it, I promise you that I love the necklace." With all of the talk about her brother it caused her to remember one vital thing, "Sooo I kind of sort of told my brother about us, well technically he guessed that I have a boyfriend and I was too scared to lie to him as I didn't want him to tell my parents."

Gulping that made him nervous, "What did he say? I'm surprised I am still alive."

Kissing him quickly she pulled back, "He's okay with it, he knows you are a few years older and he made me promise to give him weekly updates on you to make sure that you are treating me right but he said he would keep my secret."

Resting his hands on her hips that was a relief, "So I get to live **and** you like your gift, I would say all in all today has been a pretty awesome day."

Smacking his chest gently she rolled her eyes, "Shut up silly."

Quickly grasping her arm he pulled her forward unbalancing her so she ended up lying on his chest, "Perfect."

"What about the fruit?"

Trailing his hand up and down his back he didn't care, "Screw the fruit, unless you're hungry, I prefer this."

Sliding closer to him she wrapped her arms around his back and rested her head on his chest, "Nope, not hungry at all, I can eat later."

Kissing the top of her head he smiled as he rested his head back on the pillow and enjoyed having her close, the longer he held her here like this the more he wished that she could stay the night.

With her head resting on his chest she could hear his heartbeat and she felt so relaxed like she could fall asleep but turning her head the other side she saw the time and realised that she needed to leave, "I should get going so I'm home before the parents."

Despite saying she needed to leave she hadn't moved which brought a smile to his face, "I guess you do. Why don't you properly think about the prospect of staying over at some point and see how you feel?"

Hearing him suggest staying over after what she had said excited her but she didn't need to think about it, "No thinking necessary, I'd love to."

Shifting on the bed a little he carefully sat up forcing her to sit up with him because he needed to look into her eyes, "Steph I'm serious, you really need to think about it because spending the night is a big deal."

Rolling her eyes she crossed her arms, "I'm not stupid Paul, I know it's a big deal but I'm okay with it, hell I have even mentioned it before. The idea behind spending the night would be to get some quality time with you and to have some great sex."

The look in her eyes and the way she was squeezing her breasts together was making it really difficult for him to resist her and resist the urge to pull her close and kiss her, "Seriously Steph? You have to say that when you're leaving don't you? When you look that sexy that I just want to roll you over and hover over you kissing your lips and your neck and every single part of you until we make slow sweet love."

Framing his face in her hands she closed the distance between their faces and pressed a soft kiss to his lips, "Trust me that really doesn't sound too bad to me at all so if you want to do that you won't hear me complaining."

"Your parents?"

Shrugging her shoulders she was willing to find a way to lie through it if they got back before her, "I'll deal with them."

Just as she went to kiss him again he turned his head to the side so she missed his lips and got his cheek, "I'm sorry but I can't risk it for your sake."

Pulling back she sighed heavily and climbed off the bed, "I understand. Let me know if you're up for a sleepover at some point, I am and am fully aware of what it may involve and am happy with it all so it's down to you."

Reaching over he grabbed the box with the key to his house and the box that had had the necklace in and passed them both to her, "In more ways than one I am up for it."

Giggling she took the boxes from him holding them in one hand before she took hold of his hand with her other hand as he stood up from the bed, "Good, I'm glad. We will talk details another time but thank you for this, for today, for my gift, for everything, I appreciate it all."

"You're welcome, I'm just glad you liked it all."

"I did."

Walking around the bed still holding his hand she slipped her feet into her shoes that she had kicked off earlier before heading for the door to go downstairs. When they reached the front door she reluctantly dropped his hand and turned to face him properly, "I have an appointment at the gym tomorrow so I can't come by but maybe I will see you Wednesday. Now I have myself a key I can just walk in or come by and surprise you."

Smirking that idea did not sound half bad to him, "Sounds good to me. Have a good evening and I'll text you tomorrow."

The smirk on his face brought a blush to her cheeks, "I look forward to them."

Paul was well aware that they were both dancing around the issue of affection and he couldn't take it any longer so as gently as possible he slammed her against the front door and slid his hand around her neck fusing their lips together at a slow and gentle pace but soon he wanted more so opened his mouth licking his lips gently begging for entrance which he soon received and they began to fight for dominance.

Dropping the boxes to the floor her arms found their way around his neck pulling him closer as the kiss got more heated and his entire body began pressing her against the door and her hips started rocking against his as the kiss got steamier.

Reluctantly he pulled back from the kiss before it went even further but judging by the rosy colour to her cheeks and the way she was touching her lip with her finger she was feeling the kiss as much as he was, "I feel like I should apologise for what just happened."

Her eyes widened, "Apologise . . . why?"

Shrugging his shoulders he wasn't even sure, he just felt guilty for practically mauling her at the door, "Well I did practically maul you at the door."

"And I was a willing participant in it Paul, I was **very** willing actually, so much so that if I didn't have to leave we would have had a repeat of the very first time I came by here."

Groaning he shook his head, "Don't Steph, I will actually drag you back to the bedroom if you don't stop."

Blushing she bent down and picked up the boxes, "Sorry. I really should bring a bag with me though because we have a habit of going wild at the door and I discard the things in my hand."

"'Going wild at the door', I think I like it and we should trademark it."

Laughing she slapped his chest gently as she stood back up properly, "I won't say no to that but for now I have to go so have a good evening and don't miss me too much."

Tapping his lips gently he wasn't going to let her get away easily, "I won't miss you too much if I can get one more kiss and this time I promise I will be a good boy and will not maul you."

Closing the gap between them she slipped her arm around his waist, "Save the mauling for when I first arrive and then we won't feel so frustrated." Leaning up she pressed a soft kiss to his lips, "Have a good evening and I'll see you on Wednesday."

Stepping to the door he leant against it as she walked out, he was so screwed around her it wasn't even funny. Waiting until she pulled off he went to grab his gym bag to get a workout in to work off some sexual frustration.

When she pulled into the drive Stephanie gulped as she saw her Mom's car, she was never home this early and she would definitely start asking questions if she saw how she was dressed so she had to slip inside the house and change before she saw her. Quietly closing the car door she made sure she had the two boxes and took a deep breath before she made her way to the front door shutting it equally as quietly behind her and heading straight for the stairs.

She was halfway up the stairs when she heard her Mom's voice and froze, "Stephanie? Is that you?"

Turning on the spot to look around she noticed that her Mom wasn't actually able to see her, she actually had no idea where she was which was exactly what she was hoping for, "Yeah it's me, I'm just going to drop something in my room and I'll be down." Not waiting for a response she jogged the rest of the way to her bedroom and shut and locked her bedroom door so she could change in private.

Placing the boxes on her vanity table Stephanie slipped out of her dress and back into the clothes that she had worn to school so her Mom would have no idea she had worn anything different. Sitting in front of the mirror she looked in the mirror and frowned at her hair as it still looked a little curly so she decided to tie it back. As she was tying it back she noticed the necklace hanging around her neck and smiled, it was beautiful and she was blessed with an amazing boyfriend but first she owed her brother a text.

Retrieving her phone she unlocked it and then attempted to take a photo of her new necklace. Eventually she managed to take a picture she was satisfied with so she attached it to a text for her brother:

_This is my birthday present from the boyfriend. Are you still cool with keeping my secret?_

Quickly sending the text she headed downstairs before her Mom started looking for her and she had to deal with awkward questions.

Entering the kitchen she was surprised to see her Mom actually cooking a meal so she stole one of the carrot sticks she had just chopped to go with whatever she was cooking, "What's for dinner?"

Slapping at her daughter's hand as she took the carrot stick she shook her head, "Not a lot if you keep eating it all. It's actually lamb chops, mash and some veg, I picked the stuff up on my way home as I had been at a meeting and wasn't really in the mood to go back to the office just for an hour or something so figured I'd come home. We could have a nice meal and then when you're doing your homework I'd catch up on my work, that's okay right?"

As annoyed as she had been that they were never around it was actually really nice to have her Mom there for once, "Will Dad be home for dinner?"

"I don't know, I told him what time it would be ready for and if he's not here then he'll just have to have his warmed up later."

Her phone beeped signalling a message and Stephanie quickly pulled it from her pocket to see who it was and immediately laughed when she saw her brother's reply to her text:

_That guy must REALLY like u to buy that, I haven't bought Riss any jewellery yet. I'm still cool with it as like every other guy in ur life he's whipped for u._

Peering over her shoulder at her daughter she couldn't help but enjoy seeing the smile on her face, "Who has got you so happy?"

Looking up from her phone she shrugged, "It's just Shane."

_I don't have him whipped, you're just too tight to buy your girl some jewellery. I hope he likes me though, I like him a LOT._

Replacing her phone in her pocket she didn't want to think about what Shane had said about Paul really liking her, she wasn't ready to think about that. Playing with the charm on the necklace she sighed needing a distraction, "Is there anything I can do to help you with dinner?"

"Sure, the table could do with being set please if you don't mind."

Stephanie didn't reply to her Mom, she just went about gathering together cutlery and place mats to keep herself occupied as the thought of someone else saying that Paul really liked her was scary.


	29. Chapter 29

Stephanie ignored Shane's text that was in reply to her saying she liked Paul a lot because it was a scary prospect to think that Paul might feel half of what she felt for him, so if she didn't read Shane's text then it wouldn't be real. Much to her relief her Mom called to say that dinner was ready so she had an excuse not to reply to him.

Sat down at the table eating dinner with her Mom was nice for a change, simply having company when she ate was a nice change and different to what she had become used to over recent weeks.

Linda had been thinking over what Shane had said about spending more time with Stephanie and sitting there eating with her daughter she knew that he was right, "I have been thinking Stephanie."

Those four words never ended in anything good for her but unfortunately she couldn't hide from what her Mom wanted to say, "You have? What about?"

"Our relationship."

Almost dropping her cutlery that didn't sound good, "What about it?"

Placing the cutlery neatly on her plate she wanted to give her daughter her full attention, "I think we should start to spend some quality time together so I wondered if you wanted to go to the mall with me on Saturday to do some shopping? I am well aware that you haven't been shopping a lot since we moved here, the credit card bill says as much, and I haven't been shopping at all so I thought you could show me around?"

That wasn't a bad prospect going shopping and showing her Mom around, she may need some tlc from Paul afterwards but it might be fun, "Sure, I like the sound of that."

Surprised at how easily her daughter agreed to it she almost questioned if she had heard her properly, "Really?"

The last thing she wanted to do was make her Mom suspicious of what she was doing so of course she was going to agree anyway but she did like the sound of that, "Really. It will be really nice to spend some time with you." Despite the fact that she probably won't be able to get anything sexy for Paul it might be nice to spend some quality time with her for a change.

"I think that it will be nice to spend some time together, just the two of us."

The two of them finished their dinner before Stephanie put all of the dishes in the dishwasher and then retreated to her bedroom to do her homework whilst her Mom went to the home office to do some work.

Once she was in her bedroom and the door was shut she pulled out her phone to read but not reply to Shane's text and to text her boyfriend:

_Trust me Steph, this guy clearly likes you as much as you like him if he is already buying you jewellery._

Groaning she closed Shane's text and opened one to Paul:

_Do you have any plans for Saturday night?_

Ignoring the strange look he was getting from Zoe for having been there so long he walked past her to go and get showered and changed as he was sure he literally stank with the workout he had just put his body through.

Walking out of the changing rooms he pulled his phone from his bag and was about to check it as he headed towards the exit but he paused and dropped his phone back into his bag when his name was called, turning back to Zoe he almost forced a smile, "What did I forget?"

"To be yourself?"

Shaking his head he rolled his eyes, "You don't like it when I'm myself."

"I don't like it more when you're quiet and withdrawn like this. Is everything okay? You just killed your body, you'll probably not be able to move tomorrow."

Shrugging his shoulders he could hardly tell her he had a serious case of sexual frustration, "I just had a lot on my mind and didn't realise how long I was working out."

Giving him the look she had perfected on her husband that made it clear she didn't believe him she shook her head, "Please, you're not an idiot and neither am I. I do not buy that for one second but it's your body, your life, you can do whatever you choose but as a friend I was just making sure you were okay."

"I'm fine Zoe, I promise. Thank you for your concern but I swear I'm okay and I will take good care of myself and won't return for at least two days."

Standing up she tilted her head to the side, "So if I see you here before Thursday I can personally kick you out?"

Laughing he liked the mental image of her trying, "Sure, if you think you can manage it. Now though I am going to go home and eat something delicious, what it will be I don't know though."

"Well I am going to finish here and I am going to get home to my husband having cooked my dinner as he finished early. Have a good evening and find yourself a good woman, someone needs to keep your ass in line because you're a crazy ass losing yourself."

Shaking his head he turned around walking away, the problem was he had a woman, "See you soon Zoe."

Leaving the gym he opened his car door and tossed his bag in before he climbed into the drivers seat and started it up. He was just about to pull off when he decided to actually check his phone so pulling it from his bag he lit up the screen surprised to see he had a text from Stephanie. Reading the text he couldn't help but smile:

_Why? Do you want to have a date night?_

Her homework was annoying her, all she wanted to be doing tonight was to be spending time with Paul and now he wasn't even answering her texts which was just irritating her even more than the maths was. Somehow she was managing to get some work done but the second her phone beeped it had her full attention, especially when she saw the text was from Paul and he was asking if she wanted a date night. Chewing on her lip nervously she wanted to suggest a date night that involved staying all night but she didn't want him to shoot her down because it was too soon as he hadn't seemed too enthusiastic earlier. Taking a deep breath she decided to just get it over with:

_Well technically I was hinting at a date night if you were free and maybe it can be a date night all night long, if that is something you want._

Driving home he was stopped at traffic lights when he received her reply so he quickly read it and immediately tossed his phone into his bag, he did not want or need to be thinking about that right now. Rubbing his face wearily he didn't know if she had any idea what she was doing to him but he hoped she wasn't doing or saying any of it because she felt it was what he wanted or expected. As the lights turned green he focussed on the road ahead of him and getting home in one piece and not his girlfriend.

Stephanie had finished all of her homework and she had even managed to shower and she still hadn't received a reply to her text. Picking up her phone she was annoyed that he was ignoring her and not being man enough to say that he didn't like the idea:

_Thanks for being man enough to tell me you didn't like the idea, keeping silent is such a dick move when you're meant to be my boyfriend._

Tossing her phone somewhere on the bed she got dressed before she ran a brush though her hair and then she would go to get some water and then go to bed.

Stephanie was on his mind so much that Paul's dinner was more than a little overdone, he wanted to say yes to her staying overnight, he was just terrified that it was far too soon and despite the fact that he wouldn't do anything that she didn't want to to he didn't want her to say yes because she thought it was what he wanted and then regret it the next day.

It was easier to ignore her text than face up to it and have the conversation where he admitted to being afraid of taking advantage of her but he didn't realise exactly how long he had been avoiding her text for until he received her second text and then he knew he was in deep trouble as she sounded really mad. Looking at his phone he contemplated between trying to explain himself over text and calling her and he realised that this situation needed a phone call so that was what he did he called her and listened to the phone as it rang and rang and rang and rang until the voice mail clicked in, "Fuck." Hanging up the phone he angrily threw it down onto the seat beside him.

She had just got her water and said goodnight to her Mom and told her to say goodnight to her Dad if he ever returned home this evening and went back upstairs to sleep, it was only ten o'clock but she was just not in the mood to stay awake. Crawling into bed she almost kicked her phone off of the bed but saw it at the last second and grabbed it to put it on the side. Reaching across to put it on the side she went to put it down but then had second thoughts about it not wanting to be like Paul and to ignore him if he had texted her but as she lit up the screen she noticed she had a missed call, checking who it was she saw it was from Paul but he hadn't left her a voice mail or sent her a text so she wasn't going to return the call. Clearing the missed call she set her phone on the side and slid down in bed to go to sleep.

He waited ten minutes before he decided to call her again, he knew it was late but he wanted to clear up the mess between them, he didn't want her to go to sleep angry with him.

She was just getting comfortable in bed when her phone began to ring so reaching across for it she was surprised to see Paul's name on the screen, "What?"

Wincing at the greeting that was not a good start, "I'm sorry. I was driving home from the gym when your text came in and then I had to eat and I just forgot to reply."

Sitting up she felt herself softening slightly to hear that he had been driving but she was still kind of mad, "Why are you calling me? Why didn't you just reply to my text with a text?"

"Because it didn't seem appropriate to text the reply, that and it's always nice to hear your voice."

Scowling despite the fact that he couldn't see it she was not happy, "Sucking up is not going to help you get out of this."

Raking his fingers through his hair he sighed, he had no choice but to just put it all out there, "I'm sorry you feel that I am sucking up. The truth is that when I received your text I was going to reply but I was too chicken. You literally have no idea how much I would like to say that I would love for you to stay the night, I just don't want to take advantage of you."

Playing with the cover on her bed she listened to the front door slam as her Dad clearly arrived home, "You won't be taking advantage of me, I want to come to yours, I want to have a meal and watch a movie and then crawl into bed and lay in your arms and whatever happens happens. Paul if we had sex all night long I wouldn't care and you wouldn't be taking advantage of me because I like you a **lot** and you're my boyfriend and it's to be expected right? I mean that's what you'd do with somebody your age isn't it?"

Hearing her ask if it was something he'd do with someone his age was like a punch to the gut, he didn't want her to feel like that, "Steph please don't think like that, don't think about what would happen if you were older, I like you for who you are, it isn't about your age but the person that you are."

Wiping at her cheek as she blinked and a tear trickled down her cheek he said the sweetest thing and she felt her anger disappear, "Really?"

"Really Steph, I wouldn't lie to you about this. If you are free on Saturday and want to come over and stay the night despite knowing there is a high possibility that I will not be able to keep my hands to myself then I would be happy to have you."

Giggling softly there was something oddly romantic about him saying that, "I would, I really would. Promise me you won't back out on me though."

Standing up he turned the television off and headed out of the room switching the light off as he went, "I will not back out on you, I promise. You should go to sleep though because you have a date with a personal trainer tomorrow and he will kick your ass."

"I know, I look forward to it. Sleep well Paul and I'll talk to you tomorrow."

Slowly ascending the stairs a mental image of Stephanie in her gym gear flashed up, "I'll try. Sleep well yourself, goodnight."

"Night."

Ending the call she placed her phone back beside her bed before she lay down in bed with a smile on her face, Saturday night was going to be so much fun and she couldn't wait. Before she got to Saturday though she had to think of somebody to tell her Mom that she was staying over with because she couldn't tell her the truth but she had time for that, for now she just wanted to go to sleep.


	30. Chapter 30

Tuesday morning Stephanie woke up with a smile on her face, this afternoon she had a workout at the gym and would then be able to go whenever she wanted and then Saturday she was going shopping with her Mom and then was having a date night with her boyfriend, perfect. Sliding out of bed she went to get showered so she wasn't late for school.

Arriving at school Stephanie picked her bag up from the floor making sure she had all of her books just as her phone buzzed she wondered who was bothering her so early in the morning but when she saw the name on the screen she had a massive grin on her face and eagerly opened it:

_I can't wait for Saturday. What's your favourite ice cream? I'll get some in for dessert._

_Saturday is going to be the best night ever. Chocolate ice cream is my favourite but I'll eat anything so don't buy especially for me._

Putting her phone back into her bag she climbed out and headed for the front door to go to home room but stopped when Belle called her name, "Yes?"

Surrounded by her three closest friends Belle motioned Stephanie closer, "Hey, come here a second please, we want to talk to you."

Gulping she walked closer, she looked friendly but she wasn't sure that she was actually being friendly, "What did you want to talk about?"

"So we were thinking about your birthday and how you never got to celebrate it with a big party. We can't organise a big party at short notice but we've been talking and planning for a few days now to come up with something really fun and so we are basically inviting you to your birthday party at my house on Saturday night. It is a sleepover so you'll need to bring like an overnight bag and your favourite pillow if you have one but if not that's okay, I'll supply everything for everyone to sleep comfortably."

Her eyes widened both in surprise and panic, "You're doing all of this for me?"

Belle smiled and nodded, "We are. So can you come?"

Biting down on her lip she was torn, "I . . . I don't know. I've made plans with my Mom because she feels guilty about not being there for me at all for months and I don't want to blow her off. I don't know exactly what she has planned though so let me talk to her later and I'll get back to you. I'm sorry for messing you around."

Belle shrugged, "It's okay, we all know what the parents are like. If you can't do Saturday we could always do Friday or next weekend."

"Thanks girls and I'm sorry." Just then the bell rang so all conversation was cut short as they headed inside.

Stephanie spent her first two classes trying to figure out whether to talk to Paul about the potential sleepover or to just tell the girls that her Mom had plans for them all day and she couldn't make it. By the time her free period came she decided that she couldn't just make this decision, she had to talk to Paul about it.

Walking out of class she smiled at Belle as she practically grabbed her arm, "What did I do?"

Belle giggled at her confusion, "Nothing, I'm just excited for the weekend possibly happening and I thought as we have a free period we could talk details so I can make sure I don't get anything you're allergic to or something."

"I can't, I was going to try calling my Mom and see if I can find out if I can do Saturday night or not."

"I'm good with that plan." Gently pushing Stephanie she smiled innocently, "Go, the sooner you go the sooner you talk to her and the sooner the details can be finalised."

Shaking her head as she walked away from her she made her way outside to see if Paul had a class right now and if he did she would just hang around and talk to him after it.

Standing outside the gym she could hear the commotion inside which meant that there was a class going on. Leaning against the wall she was glad that it wasn't raining as she had an hour to waste so she dumped her bag on the floor and took a seat leaning against the wall before she pulled a book from her bag to start on her homework.

One hour later and the girls were all filing out of the gym chatting excitedly amongst themselves but she didn't stop working until the stragglers had left at which point she quickly shoved her book back into her bag before she got up. Looking around nervously she made sure that there was nobody around to see her before she walked over to the door of the gym and entered with one goal in mind and that was to talk to her boyfriend even if it wasn't the smartest move being at school, she just didn't know any other way to talk to him privately face-to-face before tomorrow evening and she didn't have a way to buy herself time until then.

Shifting her bag on her shoulder she knocked quietly on the door, God she was so nervous and she didn't even know why.

Sat at his desk Paul was really looking forward to a quiet lunch as the freshman girls had given him a headache. When there was a knock at the door he almost wanted to pretend like he wasn't in just so he could eat his lunch in peace and quiet but he wasn't sure that was ethical, "Come in."

Slowly pushing the door open and stepping inside she was too nervous to even look at his face, "Hi."

The second he saw his girlfriend stood in front of him he panicked, there was no way that she would risk coming here unless it was urgent, "What's wrong? Are you okay? Look at me, talk to me."

Standing awkwardly in front of the door she knew she shouldn't have come, "This was stupid, I should go."

Darting out of his seat he quickly put his hand on the door leaning against it to prevent her from opening it, "What's going on Steph? There is no way you came here now just because you wanted to see me, it's pretty obvious that you want something but what is it?"

He was so close that she could smell him and it made her just want to touch and taste him and it took everything in her not to try and touch him, "It doesn't matter. Let me go before people start talking."

Sliding his free arm around her waist he crushed her bag against his chest, "Don't leave me, talk to me please. I will lock the door and we can share my lunch because I guess you don't have your own."

"I don't have my own lunch, I didn't think ahead. Are you absolutely sure that you don't mind?"

Rubbing her stomach with his fingers he smiled, "I would love to. Now can I let you go and be certain that you will stay and talk to me."

Unable to stop herself her hand covered his on her stomach as she breathed out, "Yes."

Smiling his hand slipped to the keys in the door and turned them listening as the sound of the lock clicking reverberated around the room, "Just you and me." Stepping away from her he moved back to his desk and took a seat watching her waiting for her to make her move.

Taking a moment to regain her composure she turned around and dropped her bag to the floor before she moved closer to the desk not sure where to sit, in front of his desk, on his desk, not sit at all?

Pulling his sandwich and banana from his bag he placed them on his desk, "So I have a ham sandwich and a banana that I am willing to split it all 50/50 with you on the one condition that you find somewhere you want to sit and you talk to me."

Looking at him sat there in his chair knowing that the two of them were completely alone she walked around the desk and spun his chair around and sat herself on his lap carefully, "Even here?"

Wrapping his arms around her holding her closely he kissed the side of her head, "Even here." Opening the sandwich he picked up his half, "You can start talking whenever you like."

Taking her half of the sandwich she ate that silently just happy to be with him because she felt so separated from him today and she didn't know why.

As soon as she had finished her half of the sandwich she knew she couldn't put it off any longer, "So we have plans for a date night on Saturday night and I'm so excited for it, the only problem is that I walked into school today and Belle and a couple of the other girls want to throw me a birthday sleepover on Saturday night and I don't know what to do. I really want to keep our date plans but I don't want them to get suspicious." Laying her head on his shoulder she just cuddled closer to him needing the comfort of his touch and wanting to breathe him in committing it all to her memory for when she was missing him.

Holding her closely he didn't want to break their date but it looked like they were going to have to, "I don't think you should turn down the sleepover. Your parents need to believe that any time you are out of the house you are with friends and Belle and friends need to know that you are friends and won't start asking questions about where you are, who you are with and don't treat you like you think you are better than them."

Sighing heavily she thought he would say that and she agreed with him, it didn't mean she had to like it though. Slipping her hand beneath the bottom of his t-shirt she ran her fingers over his bare stomach enjoying touching him, "Why do you have to be so right? What do we do for a date night now? I was really looking forward to spending some quality time with you."

Gently taking hold of her wrist he removed her hand from beneath his shirt, "Not here, not now." He didn't want to tell her that she was about to start something they couldn't finish so he tried to smooth it over, "I'll get distracted by your touch and we won't achieve anything. I was looking forward to you spending the night too but maybe next weekend we can do it? Really whenever is convenient for you we can have a date night but there is only so much time where you can celebrate your birthday. I know you're busy tonight but maybe you can come by tomorrow and we can do . . . something."

When he said the word 'something' her mind immediately went to sex, she wanted him so badly but she was too afraid to tell him, "Something as in anything I want? Something as in I can say what we do and you won't judge me?"

Her asking him not to judge her was a loaded question which made him wonder what was on her mind but the truth was he really liked her and as long as it was legal he could never judge her for it, "As long as it's legal I don't care what you want to do, I'm up for it."

Sliding her fingers through his she held his hand, "Thank you. I guess I can tell the girls that my Mom doesn't have plans for us for Saturday night then."

"I guess you can." Looking at their joined hands he couldn't help but smile, he felt like such a girl but she had a way of making him feel so special and so needed and right now he felt very needed by her.

Looking at her watch she realised that there was not long left of lunch but if she was going to achieve one good thing out of this lunch apart from having been able to spend it with her boyfriend then she was going to get some kisses, "Considering I can't come to yours after school today and we can't have our date night on Saturday I think you need to make it up to me."

Raising his eyebrow he wasn't sure he liked where this was going, "How come **I** have making up to do? It's not my fault."

"Maybe not but as the awesome boyfriend that you are I know that you want to make me feel better."

He continued to look at her sceptically as she looked at him almost with puppy dog eyes, "How can I make you feel better?"

The way he was looking at her made her nervous but she was determined to be more outgoing and more confident, "I want kisses. The door is locked so nobody can get in."

He should say no, he knew he should say no but he didn't want to. Letting go of her hand he pulled it free feeling guilty when he saw the pain that flashed across her face but he ignored it and quickly lifted his hand to hold the back of her neck guiding her head closer to his as he captured her lips in a kiss.

She thought he was going to turn her down and tell her that no matter what there would be no kissing but when she felt his lips on hers she shifted a little so she was more comfortable as she returned the kiss moaning lowly when his other hand found its way to her ass squeezing it gently. Resting her hand on his chest the kiss deepened and she felt it from her head to her toes, this was everything she wanted and hoped it would be and she was in danger of melting right off of his lap when the school bell rang and the two jumped apart with her only remaining on his lap because of him holding her.

The blush that stained her cheeks as they separated from the kiss gave her a nice glow which he found made her more beautiful, "I know you have to go but can we take a picture together first?"

Nodding her head she bit her lip and leant closer to him as he grabbed his phone and took a quick selfie of the two of them, "Now I really need to go but thank you for the kiss."

Locking his phone he helped her stand up, "You're welcome. Are you happy now?"

"I am, thank you."

Opening the banana he broke it in half and handed half to her, "Take and eat that, you need to keep your strength up."

Smiling shyly her mind immediately went to sex again so she shook her head to clear those thoughts, "Thank you, you're the best boyfriend. I'll text you later and let you know how I get on but I've got to go before I get in trouble."

"Bye Steph."

Unlocking the door she opened it relieved to see that the gym was silent which meant he had a free period so she was safe. Taking a bite out of the banana she made her way out of the gym to her first afternoon class.

Sliding into her seat she was very nearly late for class but luckily the teacher was even slower than she was so as she sat next to Belle she bit down on her lip as Belle turned to stare at her, "What?"

Crossing her arms Belle didn't take her eyes off of her friend, "Where the hell have you been? We haven't seen you in like two hours and you missed lunch completely."

"I was busy, I was trying to get hold of my Mom to see if we could do the sleepover this weekend."

"And?"

Shrugging her shoulders she tried to play it off, "Oh you know, she said that she has no plans for the evening so I can do whatever I want which means the sleepover can happen if you want it to."

Staring at Stephanie she couldn't help but notice something odd about her, "You know your lips look puffy like you have had a really good make out session with somebody."

Blushing she couldn't help but touch her lips, "I am not entirely sure what you're talking about. Do you want this sleepover to still happen?"

"What?! Are you pulling out just because I mentioned your lips?"

Shaking her head she looked at her like she was crazy, "No, are you nuts? I just wondered if like it was still actually happening because you never said anything."

Belle couldn't help but blush as she felt really stupid, "It's still happening . . ."

She was cut off as the teacher walked into the room, "Everybody shut up or you're all going to be in detention."

As everybody else's attention was drawn to the teacher at the front of the room Stephanie couldn't help but gently touch her lips again before she slyly pulled her phone from her bag and hid it between the pages of her book to use the camera on it to look at her lips. When she saw her lips she tried hard not to gasp because her lips were a little puffy and swollen but when she thought back to why they were like that she had to bite down on her lip to stop herself from smiling, kissing her boyfriend like that during school hours wasn't her smartest idea but it was definitely worth it because she could still feel his hands on her body and his lips on hers and it was all worth it for the memories and the feelings.

She was brought out of her dreams when Belle elbowed her in the ribs, "Steph we're supposed to be working in pairs not daydreaming."

Putting her phone back in her bag she turned her attention to Belle making an excuse about why she wasn't concentrating before she pushed thoughts of Paul to the back of her mind and did start to concentrate.


	31. Chapter 31

He was up to his neck in work, between his own classes and helping the teacher standing in for other gym teacher who was sick he hadn't had five minutes to himself but luckily he had managed to get twenty minutes to himself to eat lunch. Collapsing into his chair he unlocked his desk and pulled out his phone surprised to see a text from Diana:

_I have news, I've just got home from the hospital with my newborn baby daughter so feel free to visit us._

Staring at his phone he was sure that he didn't understand it because she wouldn't keep that information from him:

_What are you talking about? You don't mean that you had the baby and didn't tell me do you?_

Sending the text he put his phone on his desk and quickly ripped open his sandwich, he only had so long to eat before his next class and he was hungry. He had just finished his lunch and was getting ready for his next class when he received another text from her:

_Our baby girl was born 2:21am Monday morning and we got released from hospital today. Don't hate me, I did this for you._

As he read the text he knew exactly what he was doing after school and he couldn't wait.

He was so determined to go and see his best friend and his new God-daughter that he had forgotten that he had arranged with Stephanie for her to come over, that was until he was hurrying out of the door and she was about to walk in.

Squeaking as he almost ran her over in his hurry to get out of the door she sensed that something was wrong, "Paul? Where are you going? What's wrong?"

Turning around to face her he turned and shut his front door before he took hold of her arm, "Do you trust me?"

Nodding her head she was a little confused, "Yes, but why? You still haven't told me what's wrong."

Pulling her towards the car he didn't want to tell her the whole story, "I just need you to trust me and not ask any questions. I promise I'm not taking you to your death, I just don't want to tell you yet. Are you up for that?"

Biting her lip as he unlocked the car dropping the bag in his hand on the back seat before he turned back to her looking hopeful.

The look in his eyes was enough to make her give in even if she wasn't willing to let him drag her along for whatever ride he wanted to take her on, "I am willing to come on whatever ride you want to take me on. My car or yours?"

Opening the passenger door he motioned for her to get in, "Come on, climb in and let's get on our way."

Almost twenty minutes later they arrived at the destination and Paul climbed out of the car immediately going around to the passenger side and getting the bag out of the back before he opened the passenger door for Stephanie as she hadn't moved, "Coming in?"

Biting her lip she looked at him warily before she climbed out of the car and stood awkwardly beside him.

Locking the car Paul slipped his fingers through hers and held her hand as he led her up the path towards the house knocking on the front door and waited. When the door opened he smiled at Zack, "Hello Zack, it was so nice of you to call."

Putting his hands up in defence he didn't want to ask who the girl was but he did notice her, "Don't blame me, blame her, it was her wish. Come in though, they're in the lounge."

Stepping inside Paul led her through to the lounge playfully glaring at his best friend, "I told you to call me when you were in hospital, I didn't mind visiting you there."

Diana jumped a little at the sound of his voice and glared back at him, "And I told you that you were busy and I wasn't going to drag you out of your way like that. So do we get an introduction or do I have to guess what she is called?"

Sliding his arm around Stephanie's waist he pulled her closer, "Diana this is my girlfriend Stephanie, Stephanie this is my best friend of more years than I care to remember Diana."

Sizing up the younger woman she wasn't quite what she was expecting, "The student?"

Frowning he nodded, "Yeah I guess you could say that."

Nodding her head in acknowledgement she then smiled at the younger woman, "It's nice to meet you, Paul has told me a lot about you."

Biting her lip nervously she tried to force a smile, "It's nice to meet you too, I can't say I have heard about you though."

Motioning to the couch she wanted to know more, "Well you can both take a seat and we can learn more about each other and you can both meet Leila."

He felt bad that Stephanie seemed so nervous so he pulled her closer and kissed her cheek, "She's a good person, I promise."

She knew that he wasn't going to lie to her but she was nervous as clearly the other woman knew a lot about her and she knew nothing about them, "I know, I'm just scared Paul, I want her to like me."

Cupping her cheek he smiled at her, "She will, just be yourself and she will like you as much as I do."

Her eyes slid closed as she felt his hand touching her face, "I'll try."

Diana sat there watching their exchange waiting for them to take a seat on the couch before she stood up carefully cradling her daughter close to her before she walked over to her best friend, "Get your arms ready, if you're going to be her Godfather then you need to bond with her."

He quickly removed his arm from around Stephanie's shoulder and prepared to meet his God-daughter for the very first time but he was anxious as she lay her in his arms, "How do I know if I'm holding her right?"

Stroking her daughter's head she shook her head, "I would have told you if you're not. Just relax Paul, she'll be happy."

Moving back to her seat she slowly lowered herself down, "So tell me about yourself Stephanie."

Tearing her eyes away from the little girl she looked at Diana, "You seem to know a lot already but I'm eighteen and I moved here from Florida a couple of months ago as my parent's have expanded their business. I have an older brother who is in college and my best friend still lives in Florida."

"Do you have a lot of friends here?"

She didn't know if this was a trick question but she shook her head answering it anyway, "No, I have a few people I hang out with in school and irregularly out of school but I doubt they'll be friends for life and they're not the type of people I'll tell my business to."

Diana had almost been testing the other woman to see if she could really trust her to protect her best friend and judging by her answers she wasn't about to splash their relationship around, "So how many people have you told about you and Paul?"

"Two. My brother knows I am dating something and that he is a couple of years older but doesn't know the details and my best friend from Florida knows everything but I trust her with my life, she's not going to tell anybody."

Paul was shocked, "Your best friend knows about me?"

Biting her lip she was regretting her honesty now, "Yes, she thinks you're hot."

Raising his eyebrow he was surprised she had told somebody, "And what do you think?"

Blushing she ducked her head, "I know she's right."

Being careful of the baby in his arms he leaned closer and kissed the side of her head, "Good answer."

Diana watched the two of them together and had to admit that they were cute but she still wasn't sure. With the two of them absorbed in each other briefly she looked over at her husband giving him a look and motioning to Paul so he would take him out of the room so that she could talk to Stephanie privately.

Zack knew that look from his wife and mouthed 'play nice' at her, "Paul I don't suppose you'd be willing to help me move the crib and try and fix the mobile would you please?"

Looking down at the baby in his arms and then at his best friend he didn't entirely trust her, "I guess. Where should I lay Leila then."

"Give her to Stephanie, I'm sure she would like a cuddle."

Looking at his girlfriend sceptically he noticed that she just shrugged but didn't say a single word, "Are you sure Steph?"

Nodding her head she wanted to impress his best friend and she wanted to prove herself, "I'm sure. As long as Diana isn't leaving me incase she starts crying then I'll be fine."

Carefully passing Leila over to Stephanie he lay her in her arms before he kissed the little girls head and then kissed his girlfriend on the lips, "Don't stand for any of her bs." Glaring at his best friend he didn't trust her, "Play nice or you will regret it."

Rolling her eyes Diana took the seat that he vacated, "Just help my husband and us girls will get to know each other."

Waiting until the men were out of the room she then went straight to the point, "Do you truly like Paul?"

Stephanie was shocked that she asked her that, she hadn't even been honest with Paul about her feelings let alone being honest with his best friend, "I can't tell you that."

"Why? Do you not like him?"

"No, I just haven't told him."

"I'm not about to go telling him what you say, I am asking for my own peace of mind and nothing more."

Sighing she hoped she was telling her the truth as she didn't want to scare him away, "The truth is that I like him a lot."

Adjusting her seating position on the couch so she could look at the younger woman directly she was surprised by her admission, "And why haven't you told him?"

Without thinking she shrugged her shoulders and immediately regretted it when she disturbed the baby in her arms, "Sorry, I didn't think. As for your question it's because it is still really early days between us, I don't want to scare him off by coming on too strong so I'll tell him when the time is right, for now I think it is enough to just enjoy being together."

Reaching across Diana didn't need to do much to soothe her daughter as she lay there seemingly happy in the other woman's arms, "For what it is worth I think he really likes you too. He has put his entire life on the line for you and I don't think he would do it for a meaningless fling." Taking a deep breath she could tell the younger woman was still incredibly nervous around her so decided to put it all out there, "I'm going to be honest with you here, I didn't like the idea of him dating you, I am actually pretty sure I may have insulted him and called him stupid when he told me, but meeting you face to face and beginning to get to know you I can see that you're not in this because it is some sort of joke to you, you have genuine feelings."

She'd barely finished talking before Stephanie was answering her, "I do have genuine feelings for him, so many that sometimes it is overwhelming but he is amazing, he is everything to me and I am not going to do anything to jeopardise his life or us as a couple."

She was actually beginning to really believe her, "So what did Paul have to say to convince you to come here this afternoon?"

"I think it was something like 'do you trust me?' when we practically collided outside of his house. We had arranged to have a mini date this afternoon and I think he forgot about it so when I appeared he pretty much dragged me along for the ride not telling me where we were going at all."

Laughing softly that reminded Diana of when they were younger, "That sounds familiar actually. When we were seventeen he turned up on my doorstep and convinced me to go on this big adventure with him, he refused to tell me where we were going though. We did have the best time and it was all worth it in the end though."

When he returned downstairs Paul was surprised to see his best friend and his girlfriend sat on the couch looking like they were best friends whilst the baby slept in the bassinet, "What exactly happened in the time that I was gone?"

Smiling smugly Diana knew it would wind him up, "Stephanie and I talked and we got to know each other and I told her some embarrassing stories from when you were younger."

Groaning he sat on the arm of the couch beside his girlfriend, "I knew I shouldn't have left the two of you in the same room together."

Placing her hand on his thigh she looked up at him nervously, "She didn't really tell me any, we were just getting to know each other."

"Yeah I didn't tell her any stories, they're for next time."

Hearing his best friend talk about seeing his girlfriend again when she had had so many reservations made him happy, "Next time?"

Rolling her eyes she nodded, "Yes next time, you know the term you use for seeing somebody again."

Glaring at her she was lucky that she had just had a baby, "Boy you are lucky right now. I was just surprised by it, that's all, I knew what it meant. Talking of next time though, we should get going Steph."

Looking at her watch she realised that she did need to get home, "We do. It was so lovely to meet you and your beautiful family and hopefully we will meet again."

"I'm sure we will, you are welcome with Paul any time."

Saying their goodbyes to Diana the couple headed back out to his car before they headed home.

Sat in the car outside of his house he turned to his girlfriend to get some truthful answers, "So how was it when I went upstairs?"

Shrugging her shoulders there were many things she thought it was going to be but what it turned out to be none of them, "It was actually really good, she's really nice and she didn't judge me for my age. I liked her a lot and her daughter was cute."

Lifting his hand he cupped the side of her face stroking her cheek with his thumb, "Did you like her more than you like me?"

Giggling nervously she was sure she was blushing as she looked down at the centre console of the car, "I could never like her more than I like you."

"Could you like anybody more than you like me?"

Lifting her gaze to his face again she was about to answer him when he cut her off, "Actually don't answer that as I was only playing with you. I'm glad the two of you got on though, she was really against this to begin with because she was protecting me so knowing she likes you and you're like best friends now means the world to me."

Raising her hand to rest over his on her cheek she smiled softly, "Really?"

Nodding his head he slowly closed the gap between their faces and when the gap between them was practically nothing he whispered, "Yes." Capturing her lips in a slow and lazy kiss he forgot completely about the fact that they were sat in a car on his driveway as he enjoyed kissing her lips tasting the remnants of her lip balm before he pulled back again, "I guess it is time we said goodbye because you can't stay can you?"

Looking at her watch she shook her head, "No I can't, as much as I want to I can't. We will find time for some quality time together soon, I believe in us."

He hoped so because he missed the intimacy, "I hope so. Have a good evening and I guess I'll see you soon."

Leaning closer she gave him one last lingering kiss before she jumped out of the car and climbed into her own heading home. As happy as she was that she had met his best friend and she liked her and would hopefully now support them it was one more day where she hadn't been able to connect with Paul in the way she wanted to.

Climbing out of the car he watched her drive off down the street before he went inside to make himself dinner, he was missing the intimacy so much and it took everything in him not to beg her to stay but they would be together soon but he had to remember she was only eighteen and he didn't want to come on like some sex mad idiot so he needed to continue to play it cool. Shutting the front door he tossed his keys on the side before he went into the kitchen to search for something to cook for himself to take his mind off her.


	32. Chapter 32

Laughing as she walked through the front door with her Mom Stephanie pulled the small bag from inside one of her larger bags, "There you go Mom, I hope Dad likes it, I think he will."

Taking the bag from her daughter she smiled, "I hope he will but he's a man and they're unpredictable. I had fun today, did you?"

Thinking back over the time she had spent with her Mom it was nothing like she had expected it to be, "I did, I wasn't really sure that I would have fun but I had a lot of fun, we should do it again if you have time."

'We should do it again', five small words that had just made Linda's entire weekend, "I would love that. We could make Saturday our time and we could do whatever you want, we could do different things each week if you want."

Hugging her Mom that was exactly what Stephanie had been looking for, she desperately wanted to spend some quality time with her Mom and if she kept to her word she would be doing that, "That sounds so much fun, I hope we can do that. I'd better go and put this stuff in the laundry and get ready for my sleepover later."

"I'll give your Dad his tie and then I'll make a sandwich and call you. Call me if you need anything."

Waving at her Mom she ran up the stairs and dumped all of the bags on her bed carefully pulling a smaller Victoria's Secret bag from inside one of the bigger bags and removed the lingerie from inside, hopefully next time she saw her boyfriend he would be very happy.

Watching her daughter leave Linda couldn't help but smile thinking about how much fun they had had and she was definitely looking forward to doing it again. Making her way to the office she didn't bother knocking on the door and just walked inside, "I got you something."

Looking up from his work Vince took off his glasses and placed them on the desk, "What is it? A happy daughter?"

Frowning a little she wasn't sure if she had accomplished that, "Maybe." Placing the bag on the desk in front of him she hoped he liked it, "I got you this when Stephanie was off getting something else."

Pulling the tie from the bag he smiled, "You know me so well. I love this tie, thank you. How did you know I needed a new one anyway?"

"I'm your wife, I know everything about you. I am going to go and make a sandwich so will call you in ten."

As his wife left the room he couldn't help but notice how much happier she seemed, if Stephanie didn't want to do this again he may have to threaten to ground her for life because he preferred it when the women in his house were happy, it made his life so much easier.

Removing all of the tags from her new clothes she took it all downstairs and threw them in the washer walking back into the kitchen just as her Mom finished the sandwiches, "So what did Dad think about his tie?"

"Your Dad liked it a lot, you know the weirder the tie is the more he likes it." Vince walked over to his daughter and kissed her cheek, "I like seeing you happy and getting along with your Mom."

Turning to look at her Dad she crossed her arms, "We never didn't get on Dad, I was just frustrated that I didn't get to see either of you like ever."

Putting his hands up in defence he took a step back, "I'm sorry that I got it wrong. Are you looking forward to your sleepover tonight?"

Picking up her sandwich she went and took a seat at the table, "I guess. I hardly know most of the girls that are going to be there so it's a bit weird but hopefully it will be fun and I will get to know them."

"I am sure that you will, you're a good girl with a good heart, they will love you."

Pushing her sandwich around her plate she forced a smile, "Thanks Dad."

Sat on her bed she had to leave for Belle's in ten minutes but she couldn't stop thinking about what she could be doing this evening instead:

_I wish we still had our date night, I would much rather be with you._

Paul was getting ready to go over to Diana's for a few hours, he told her that he would cook her dinner so he had something to do with his evening that didn't involve moping around thinking about Stephanie. Blindly pulling his phone from his pocket when it beeped he assumed it was her complaining about him not being there yet but he was surprised to see Stephanie's name. Smiling at her text he wished their date was still on too:

_That makes two of us but you have to go &amp; play nice so u have an excuse for ur parents. I would say we can text on the sly but maybe not incase they see my name_

Sending the text he really did need to leave now because otherwise Diana would be about ready to kill him by the time he did get there so he grabbed his keys and the bag of food and headed out of the door.

Stephanie was already on her way down the stairs with her bag over her shoulder when she received Paul's text and it gave her an idea. Going from his text back and into her contacts she pulled up his entry and clicked on the name deleting 'Paul' and instead she replaced it with 'Brett', saving the new entry she went back into his text to reply:

_I have come up with a way for us to continue to text, I'll tell you about it when I see you but for now just know that we can text each other._

Slipping her phone into her pocket she went in search of her Mom to let her know that she was leaving and that she'd be back at some point on Sunday.

When she arrived at Belle's she still hadn't had a reply from Paul so assumed he was busy but she didn't have a moment to even think about it because the front door was open and she was frantically being waved inside.

Time had escaped her ever since she had arrived at Belle's, it seemed like it had been well planned out because she had barely had a moment to check her phone so even if Paul had replied to her she had no idea.

Collapsing on the couches in the lounge all of the girls were grateful of the break but the silence that had enveloped the room was broken by Stephanie's stomach growling, "Oops, sorry."

All of the girls giggled but Belle sat up straight, "We should get food. What if I order pizza now and we eat candy, popcorn and anything else that we can find that is unhealthy later?"

With agreement from all of the girls she ordered two pizzas before she sat back down, "What shall we do whilst we wait for them to arrive?"

"Truth or dare!"

Stephanie gulped at the idea of playing truth or dare as she barely knew the girls but it might be a fun way of getting to know them all, "Sure."

Gathered in a circle Belle took the lead on the game, "As the birthday girl Stephanie you can go first."

There was no way she was going to be crazy enough to do a dare first, "Truth." Despite the boos she did not change her mind, "I'm still sticking with truth thanks."

Shaking her head Belle decided to ease her in gently, "How many people have you had sex with?"

Blushing she ducked her head briefly, "Two. Cheyenne, your turn next."

Laughing Cheyenne proudly sat up tall, "I'm going to be brave and pick dare."

She wanted to look good in front of the girls so said the first thing that came into her head, "I dare you to flash the pizza delivery guy."

Belle smirked, "Now we're talking. Welcome to the party Stephanie."

The four girls crowded around where they could see the door watching as Cheyenne flashed the pizza boy causing him to blush and hurry off before she slammed the door and all five of them collapsed into fits of laughter as they ran back to the lounge to eat.

After they had finished most of the pizzas the boxes were pushed to the side as Cheyenne stepped forward, "Lexi, what's it going to be?"

"I'm following Stephanie's lead and going with truth please."

Rolling her eyes Cheyenne threw a dirty napkin at her, "Boring. How bad do you want to get Mr Levesque into your bed?"

Covering her face with her hands Lexi couldn't believe she asked her that.

With everybody's focus on Lexi none of the girls noticed Stephanie's attention turn to her phone:

_I miss you so much._

Sending the text didn't make her feel any better about hearing them talk about getting her boyfriend into bed but she had to put a smile on her face and act like she wasn't bothered by it.

"I want to get him into bed so bad, I would literally do anything. Belle your turn."

Crossing her legs Belle relaxed back, "I dare you to give me a dare."

Silence fell over the group was everyone was on edge to see what she would be given and Lexi tried to think of something, "I dare you to . . . call Hugh on speaker phone and tell him you masturbated to the thought of him naked last night."

Crowding around Belle as she called Hugh the girls were trying to be quiet as she called him but Cheyenne giggled the second he answered the phone which earned her a glare from Belle and a sharp dig in either side of her ribs from Lexi and Saraya. Trying not to laugh when he answered the phone sounding posh, "Hugh it's Belle. I just wanted to tell you that I was thinking about you last night."

"Were you really? What were you thinking about?"

All of the girls put their hands over their mouths to stifle their laughter because he sounded so full of himself and so interested like he actually believed her.

Turning away from her friends so they didn't make her laugh Belle was finding this harder than she thought she would, "I was thinking about you naked as I masturbated."

Hugh's voice got higher, "You what?"

"I was thinking about you stood in front of me naked as I masturbated last night."

Clearing his throat he was very interested now, "Did thoughts of me give you a good orgasm?"

None of the girls, including Belle, could hold back their laughter now and the house filled with their laughter as Belle just ended the call.

Stephanie was the first person to stop laughing and she wiped at the tears on her face, "I told you all that he was full of himself."

"I cannot believe that he wanted to know how good you came thinking of him."

Shuddering Lexi pretended to gag, "Can we not think about him any more please? He's making me feel sick."

Throwing a cushion in her direction Belle rolled her eyes, "Saraya, you're the last one to go on this first round, truth or dare?"

Looking at all of her friends watching her expectantly she was anxious as she hated this game so much but she always felt like she didn't belong so she wanted to fit in, "I'll go with dare please?"

"I dare you to go in the bathroom and take an entirely naked selfie and send it to someone but we must know who it is."

Gulping she took her phone from the table and went off in search of the bathroom.

Calling after her Belle hadn't given anybody a guided tour around her new house, "Up the stairs and first door on the left."

With Saraya out of the room the conversation turned back to Hugh but Stephanie was off in a dream world thinking about the dare that Saraya had been given.

Nudging her Belle frowned, "Are you not having fun?"

Shaking her head Stephanie forced a smile, "I'm having a lot of fun, thank you, I never thought that I would meet anybody here who would care about my birthday after such a short period of time." Her hand went to the necklace around her neck and she played with the charm on the chain again thinking about Paul.

"Awww."

All of the girls piled on top of Stephanie hugging her and showing that they cared.

Ten minutes later and Saraya returned flopping down on the couch, "I did think about sending it to Hugh but I thought he would get too much enjoyment out of it so I sent it to a boy I know called Mitch instead." She hadn't really sent it to anybody because she had heard bad stories about people who had done something like that but what they didn't know wouldn't hurt them.

All eyes were soon back on Stephanie as they began another round of truth or dare.

When they were bored of playing truth or dare they decided to change into their pyjamas, make their beds up around the lounge and settle down comfortably to watch a movie, it was still relatively early so they weren't done for the night but they were all feeling lazy and decided to relax for a while.

With everybody's attention on the television Stephanie looked at her phone and bit her lip anxiously when she saw that Paul had replied to her:

_I miss you too. I know you had plans for what you wanted to do tonight but next weekend I am all yours so just have fun._

She wasn't entirely sure she could wait another week to get what she wanted so she was going to try and speed things along. Sliding out of her makeshift bed she hid her phone in her hand as she made her way to the bathroom locking the door behind her. Placing her phone on the top she pulled her top over her head and dropped it to the floor before she pushed her shorts down her legs and kicked them off and then undid her bra placing it on top of the small pile of clothing. Taking a deep breath she straightened her necklace before she picked up her phone and unlocked it opening the camera standing in front of the mirror looking at herself through her phone screen, moving her position of her phone a few times she finally found a view she liked and took the picture.

Staring at herself naked she bit her lip and contemplated whether to send it to him or not but he was older, he was probably used to his girlfriends sending him these sorts of pictures so she wanted to show him how mature she was so she took a deep breath and composed a message first attaching the picture before she added the text:

_If you hadn't convinced me that tonight was a good idea then you would be seeing this up close and personal._

Before she lost her bottle she sent the text and just hoped for the best. Setting her phone back down on the top she got dressed again before she went back to the lounge slipping back into bed seemingly without anybody noticing that she was gone.


	33. Chapter 33

Paul was enjoying spending some time with Diana, her husband and Leila. It had been a while since he had cooked for the two of them and it was keeping his mind away from the small doubt in the back of his mind that Stephanie wouldn't keep their relationship a secret.

Once he had finished off the dishes he collapsed sprawled out on the couch whilst Diana and Zack cuddled in a chair to the side, "Your kitchen is officially back to how I found it. I hope you enjoyed dinner."

"I did Paul, thank you so much for taking time out of your Saturday night to spend it with us and not your girlfriend."

He was comfortable on the couch but didn't hesitate to raise his head and glare at her for bringing up his girlfriend, "Just because I have a girlfriend it doesn't mean that I don't want to spend time with you."

When Leila started to cry Zack left to soothe their daughter leaving the two best friends to sort things out themselves because he knew things were about to get messy and he did not want to get in the middle of it, "Please. It is Saturday night, you **should** be spending tonight with her so why exactly aren't you?"

Paul's eyes rolled towards the ceiling as he shook his head. Just because he had a girlfriend now it didn't mean that he had to spend all of his free time with her. "We're just not. I'll get out of your hair and head home if I am such an imposition."

When she saw Zack walking back into the room carrying their daughter Diana immediately pointed at Paul, she knew that her best friend was mad at her and she didn't want him to leave like that, "He was just coming to see you. He wanted a cuddle with Leila before he left so hand her over."

Zack wasn't one to argue with his wife as he knew better than that. Carefully handing the baby over to Paul he moved to go back to his seat, "You can lay down with her on your chest if you want, she'll probably fall asleep easily like that."

Glaring at his best friend he carefully lay back down with Leila cradled to his chest. As much as he would like to continue to argue with her or to simply put some distance between them so they could cool down he was stuck where he was, he wasn't complaining about the position he was now in though, "I guess I'm staying for a bit longer then."

"Yes you are." She cuddled into her husband as he sat back down beside her she watched her best friend carefully and she could tell that something more than their little argument was bothering him, "So tell me Paul, why aren't you with your girlfriend tonight?"

In an attempt to soothe the little girl back to sleep he gently ran his hand up and down her back as she lay on his chest. The thought of why they weren't together and the anxiety it caused him made him sigh, he decided to let it all out to his best friend in an attempt to feel better, "She's at a sleepover with a couple of girls from school to celebrate her birthday. We had agreed to go on a date tonight, well technically she was coming over and we were going to do dinner and a movie, she then got the sleepover invitation and I convinced her that she should go, that it would be a good idea if she went and could then tell her parents when she was with me that she was with them . . ."

"But you miss her, you wish that you were at home with her cuddling up like I am with Zack right?"

He was surprised by how well she knew him, he shouldn't be as they had been friends for so long but he was still surprised that she was able to read him so well, "Guilty as charged. It has been one of those weeks so I haven't been able to spend a lot of time with her, or that is how it feels. I'm sorry if you feel like I have used you."

Now Diana was definitely confused and she couldn't stop herself from looking at him like he was crazy, that was the last thought in her head, "Trust me Paul you haven't used us, we got a free meal out of it and we got to hang out with you for a few hours so it was all good. You know that I like Stephanie as a person but I am still not entirely convinced that being in a relationship with her is a good idea, however it is your life and I won't lecture you on it."

He acknowledged her comment with a nod of the head. They had had a similar conversation to this via text after his visit earlier in the week, but it didn't ease any of his anxiety hearing her raise her concerns again, "I know, and I'm grateful that you won't lecture me on this and I appreciate that you separate her as a person from the age issue. The fact that you have said you're not going to exclude her if all four of us hang out means a lot to me."

"How could I exclude her Paul? I may not think this is entirely wise but she is your girlfriend and it is your life to do with as you wish. She is of legal age so I'm not going to exclude her, we are all adults around here."

Paul stayed for a little bit longer until Leila was fast asleep again. When Zack put her back to bed he made his excuses and left to head home.

As he walked through his front door his phone beeped in his hand, he wasn't surprised to see that the text was from Stephanie as she seemed to be missing him as much as he was missing her tonight. Shutting the front door he flipped the lock and turned to make his way to the kitchen to grab a drink as he opened the text but he stopped dead in his tracks as he read the message:

_If you hadn't convinced me tonight was a good idea then you would be seeing this up close and personal._

"Holy shit." He immediately scrolled up and down in the messages he was sure he was seeing things but every single time he went back to that message there was the same picture, her naked wearing just the necklace hat he gave her for her birthday:

_And I am regretting that decision more and more by the second._

Sending the text back to her he couldn't believe she had done that, he loved it but he shouldn't condone it. The last thing he wanted or needed was anybody finding that picture and asking questions as to where she had sent it.

Her phone was hidden beneath the covers as they watched the movie so when Paul replied she discreetly read the message and smiled knowing that the photo had had the desired effect:

_So what are you going to do to make up for it?_

Paul was going to go straight to bed because if he didn't he was going to do nothing but stare at the picture of Stephanie and that was not something he wanted to do, he wanted to be able to face her and not be ashamed. He was just pulling the curtains closed when he received her text and when he read it he was intrigued by what she was thinking:

_What would you like me to do to make up for it?_

It was only after he had sent the text that he realised what he had said and he hit his head on the wall a couple of times, "Stupid stupid stupid." He didn't know what it was about her but he had a terrible habit of speaking and then thinking. Ever since he had met her and he just kept getting himself in trouble.

The movie was ending and the other girls were discussing what to do next, but her phone vibrated which drew what little attention she had on the conversation to her phone and the message she had received. She looked at his message and despite being young and inexperienced she knew that being honest and telling him exactly what she wanted was not going to help either of them, especially when they were apart:

_That's a secret. Tell me what you want to do._

As soon as the text sent she locked her phone and left it on the top of her makeshift bed moving closer to join the girls' conversation.

When he read her text he threw his phone on the bed feeling a stirring in his groin as his brain began to come up with ideas, "Cold shower it is." He needed to cool down and not take everything she said so sexually. He had never been like this with any woman before, it was just something about her that he couldn't have her enough.

After having a cold shower and drying himself off Paul climbed into bed, as he did so he forgot about the fact that he hadn't replied to Stephanie and his phone remained laying on the bed near his feet.

By the time all of the girls all crawled into bed it was nearly two in the morning and Stephanie was exhausted, before she fell asleep she needed to see what Paul had said. As soon as she lit up the screen she saw that he hadn't replied and her stomach dropped. She was unable to stop her stomach tying itself into a knot as her brain came up with many reasons why he hadn't replied, maybe she had come on too strong and had turned him off her:

_I'm sorry if I came on too strong, please forgive me._

She didn't want anybody to look at her phone whilst she was asleep so she slipped it into the bed planning to keep it close to her body and hidden from view. Cuddling down in her makeshift bed she pulled the cover up to her chin and closed her eyes to try to get some sleep.

When he woke up on Sunday morning Paul had plans to get an early workout in the gym done before he did some work for school the next week so he rolled out of bed with a purpose ready and willing to begin. Standing up he took a few steps and nearly stepped on his phone as he attempted to walk around the bed, picking it up from the floor he was confused how it had gotten there but as he thought back to the night in an attempt to work it out he realised that he had been texting his girlfriend ad had failed to answer her last text as he had needed a cold shower. He needed to make it up to her and fast so he needed to reply straight away and then go and shower, however when he looked at his messages he saw the latest one from her which was sent at 1:48am and he felt bad for making her think the worst:

_I'm sorry for not replying, I went for a shower &amp; then to bed &amp; forgot. You didn't come on too strong baby, it was hot which is why my shower was cold. Forgive me?_

His finger hovered over the send button contemplating whether he should take the part about it being a cold shower out but he sent the text anyway. Now he just had to wait for her to wake up, or maybe go home, before he would find out how much making up he had to do.

Stephanie groaned when something smacked her in the face causing her eyes to flutter open. As she began to focus she saw that it was a pillow and it was now dangling over her head seemingly ready to hit her again. She knew that she wouldn't be getting any more sleep now, "What?"

"Oh good, you're awake."

Her hands rubbed the sleep from her eyes before she sat up and glared at the girls who were all currently staring at her, "I'm sure you are surprised that I am awake, you didn't smack me in the face with a pillow or anything. Why do I need to be awake anyway?"

Belle smiled sweetly, "My Aunt owns a beauty shop, it's always quiet on Sunday's and she's training two new girls so I booked us all a mani pedi appointment. You need to be awake as we have to leave in a little while."

She was so tired and so sleepy right now so she could do with being pampered, it might make her feel better, "Sounds like fun. Do we get a shower and breakfast before we leave?"

"Of course you do. You all know where the main bathroom is but if you promise to be tidy I'll let you use the en-suites too." Belle jumped up off the floor and went to find some towels for everybody as that was one thing she hadn't thought of.

Stephanie didn't want anybody to take her phone from her or ask what she was doing when she was looking at it. She waited until they were all either talking between themselves or out of the room before she pulled her phone out from beneath the covers. Nervous about what she was going to find she lit up the screen and saw that Paul had replied to her at last, she debated about whether she wanted to read it or not because she didn't want him to tell her that she had been too strong. The knot that was growing in her stomach was telling her that she couldn't not look so she opened the text. She immediately blushed a deep shade of red when she read it she now knew that he thought what she said was hot and that made her feel so much better. Chewing on her lip she didn't know how to reply to him, getting up she began to dismantle her bed starting by folding the blanket to give her time to think.

Once her bed was dismantled she sat down on the couch and sighed, unlocking her phone to reply she didn't want the same misunderstanding that she had dealt with to be repeated so needed to reply:

_You're forgiven. So did your cold shower solve the problem and cool things down?_

The room was now empty so she quickly got up from the couch and slipped her phone into her bag before she went off in search of Belle and a bathroom to shower and clean her teeth.

As he entered the gym Paul noticed immediately that the receptionist was not Zoe, "Don't tell me that Zoe actually has the day off?"

Kelly didn't know a whole lot about him, the few times that she had interacted with him he had always been amusing and today was no exception, "That or she got kidnapped and her kidnapper was really considerate and booked cover for her. I actually think Aiden has taken her away for the weekend but I might be wrong."

Handing over his membership card Paul waited as she clicked away on the computer but was distracted when his cell phone beeped. He shifted his bag on his shoulder so that he could open it and retrieve his phone from it. When he had it in his hand he smiled seeing that it was from Stephanie as it was unexpectedly early, now to see how much grovelling he had to do. Once he had finished reading the text he wondered if he should say what he was actually thinking, or what he thought she would find easier to hear as through text things could so easily be misinterpreted. Eventually he made a decision and returned her text:

_It cooled things down for now but when I am around you I am sure it won't be so cool any more._

As soon as the text had been sent he was aware that it probably was a bit cryptic but he wasn't sure what other words to use. Quickly dropping his phone back into his bag he turned his attention back to signing in at the gym lifting his head to see Kelly staring at him, "What?"

"So who has gotten you smiling so early on a Sunday morning?"

He never understood why everybody thought a smile always had to be to do with another person. Even though his was he tried to casually play it off with a shrug of his shoulders as he took back his membership card back from her, "Just my girlfriend, no big deal."

Raising her eyebrow the way he played it off as nothing intrigued her, the type of man that treated his girlfriend like 'no big deal' didn't seem the same type of guy as the one in front of her, "No big deal huh?"

The way that she raised her eyebrow made him realise how it sounded so he quickly needed to set things straight. He did not want to get himself in any trouble with anybody not knowing how far the gossip went around this place, "She is a very big deal to me, it's just not a big deal that she made me smile."

"Well for what it is worth I am glad that you are happy and that you have found somebody."

"Me too. Enough of this mushy talk though, I am going to kick some gym butt." He quickly walked off he went to put his bag in a locker and to get his workout started.

It was the middle of the afternoon when Stephanie left the girls and made her way home. It was only when she stopped at some traffic lights that she remembered that she hadn't seen a reply from Paul, she had also not stopped since her last text to Paul as Belle had kept her busy. Searching through her bag for her phone whilst she waited for the lights to change she pulled it out and looked at his message. She couldn't help but frown at his message as she didn't understand what he meant but she wasn't exactly going to be able to have this conversation at home, not when her parents could be hanging around and listening at her door. When the lights turned green she pulled into a side street and then found somewhere quiet to park.

After a successful workout he was now trying to decide whether he wanted to do some work or not. Paul was leant against the kitchen counter drinking some water from a bottle when his phone began to ring, he assumed with it being Sunday that it was his Mom or Diana and only one of the two he wanted to talk to right now and it wasn't his Mom. Reluctantly he picked up the phone but hesitated to look at the screen but when he did he saw his girlfriend's name and smiled as it was a pleasant surprise, "Hey you. I wasn't expecting to hear from you."

She was unable to stop the smile that spread across her face simply from hearing his voice, "Hey. I am on my way home but I saw your text and now I'm confused. What do you mean things won't be so cool when you're around me?"

If she was confused by what he meant it confirmed to him that she was not as aware of sexual things so he needed to be more careful. "It doesn't matter Steph."

"Yes, yes it does Paul. If you are mad at me then I need to know."

How did he answer her delicately without seeming to be evasive or patronising? Taking a deep breath he tried to find the right words in his mind before he answered, "I'm not mad, I never was. When I said that I took a cold shower last night it is because when I looked at your naked picture it got me hot, if you know what I mean."

Her eyes widened at the thought of him getting hot from the picture, it was something she had heard of but never personally experienced, "Really?! Just a simple picture did that to you?"

His anxiety rose about their relationship the more he talked to her and the more he realised that she was naive. This conversation was giving him some serious anxiety and he needed to do something with his hands so he turned around and started to straighten things on the counter, despite it already being neat and tidy, "You really have no idea the power that you have over me do you? Stephanie, sometimes just seeing you does that to me but seeing you naked wearing nothing but the necklace that I gave you was something else. You are amazing and beautiful and I . . ." Trailing off he realised that he shouldn't actually say what he was thinking to her, it was not the right time to finish the thought and put it all out there.

"I . . . I have no idea what to say, I had no idea that was how I made you feel."

Paul didn't want things to be awkward with her so he really wanted to smooth things over and play things down, "I'm not a creep though Steph, I can control myself so hopefully you will come over tomorrow and things won't be weird for you."

As she listened to him be so open and honest with her made Stephanie happy knowing that he felt like he could be honest with her about how things made him feel. It gave her some confidence to eventually do the same with him about her feelings, "I can't make it tomorrow as I have something that I have to do. Things definitely aren't weird for me, I'd love to come over on Tuesday if that's okay?"

Her question made him laugh as there wasn't actually any chance that he would say no to her, "I'll admit that I'm disappointed that you can't come tomorrow but I look forward to seeing you on Tuesday." It was only after he had finished that he realised how formal he had spoken.

"Don't forget you'll see me in class tomorrow too. I'd better drive the rest of the way home now but I'll see you tomorrow in class."

"Please try not to be too sexy, I may have to throw everybody else out just so I can have you alone if you are."

He always managed to put a smile on her face but it got a little wider when he asked her not to be sexy. She turned the key to stat the engine again, she was ready to go home so tomorrow would come so that she could see him, "I'll try my best. Bye Paul."

"Drive safely, bye Steph."

Ending the call she tossed her phone onto the seat beside her before she pulled off to head home to face her parents questions about the sleepover and then finish her homework.


	34. Chapter 34

I almost feel like I should apologise for the length of this chapter but there was no good place to split it to shorten it.

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With the call at an end she started her car and drove the rest of the way home. As she pulled in the driveway and parked the car she fully expected to be bombarded with questions from her parents as soon as she walked through the door but as she walked in all she heard was silence, "Fan-fucking-tastic, they're not even here."

With the house seemingly to herself she made her way upstairs and threw her dirty clothes in the laundry basket before she turned around to do something fun. She did have homework to finish but considering that her parents weren't home to check on her she wasn't going to worry about it right now.

It was Monday morning and as she walked into the gym all the girls were talking about Saturday night but all she could think of was Paul, as she looked past the girls her eyes connected with Paul's and she had to bite back the smile. She wanted nothing more than to walk over there and to kiss him but she couldn't, she had to keep her head on straight and not go anywhere near him so headed straight for the changing rooms.

Once she was changed into her gym gear she made her way out of the changing rooms ahead of everybody else so she could stretch in peace without feeling self conscious. Her stomach bubbled with anxiety at being close to him, taking a deep breath to calm her nerves as she entered the gym she closed her eyes appreciating the relative silence when suddenly arms were wrapped around her waist and she was pulled back against a chest. A low moan slipped past her lips when she felt him holding her, she placed her hands over his arms and leant back relishing the touch of his body. She wasn't sure why she hadn't screamed when he had grabbed her but being wrapped up in his arms was far more important than worrying about the little things, "You are so lucky that I didn't scream just then."

Paul knew that he was taking his life and more importantly his job in his hands by grabbing her but he missed her. With her not able to come over to his house until Tuesday it felt so far away and he found himself struggling to distance himself from her, when he saw her exiting the changing room alone he took the opportunity to be close to her whilst he could, "I know I know, I just needed to hold you and touch you." He buried his face in her neck and placed a few soft feather like kisses there as he listened carefully for the girls at the same time.

Whimpering lowly as he kissed her neck, she wanted him badly already as his lips were touching a sweet spot on her neck that made her knees go weak, "Paul that's not fair, I want so much more."

The sound of the girls got louder as they got closer to where they were, he had to let her go but not before pressing another kiss to her neck, "Come to my office after class."

She knew that she had a class straight after his but if she could change quickly she could squeeze in a couple of minutes with him, she hoped that would satisfy her until tomorrow, "Okay."

The two separated before the rest of the girls started filing into the gym. Stephanie began to stretch and Paul moved to check that he had everything he needed for the class.

As soon as everybody was in the gym Paul picked up the papers from the floor so he could get the class under way, "Alright girls, I have a surprise for you. On Friday night I have booked tickets for us all to go and see a professional women's basketball team playing. I need you all to get your parents to sign these forms and I need them returned by the end of school on Friday so you can collect one at the end of class. I will be the only person chaperoning but I think I can trust you all to act like grown ups and not to run off and get lost." As he went to set the papers down he hadn't really heard much of a response so was concerned that this trip was a waste of his time, "Please tell me this is something you want to see and I haven't wasted my time getting the Principal to agree."

There were quickly murmurings of excitement among them before Belle spoke up, "I'm excited, I want to see how much better the women are than the men."

That was the kind of enthusiasm that made Paul happy. Rivalry helped build good competition and it might help later in the semester if the other teacher agreed to his current idea, "Well I look forward to getting your form back then Belle. Let's get this lesson under way"

Almost an hour later and he was happy to end the lesson and go back to his office to get away from teenage girl drama for five minutes, "That's it for today. Don't forget to grab a form from me before you go to change."

Stephanie couldn't stop thinking about what he had said about going into his office after class, it made her wonder exactly why he wanted to see her and what she could expect. She hadn't expected him to wrap his arms around her or kiss her neck earlier so what would happen there? Hanging back she tried to blend into the group before deliberately passing on getting a form from him and going to change out of her gym gear.

Quickly pulling on her pants when nobody was looking so they couldn't see that she was currently turned on as she didn't want them to tease her about it. Stephanie brushed her hair through before she put he gym gear in her bag and contemplated putting her sweater on over the top of her vest top, she currently felt like she was going to melt so she just rested it over her bag and would put it on once she had cooled down.

With the conversation between the rest of the girls being quite lively she was able to pick up her bag and walk out of the changing room without drawing attention to herself. Once outside she looked around quickly to make sure that nobody was nearby before she slipped into Paul's office, "Hi."

Sat on the edge of his desk with a permission slip in hand, he had been waiting for her but found himself smiling at her presence, "Shut the door fast please."

Immediately spinning around she shut his office door as quickly as she could to avoid detection before she walked closer to him. Her heart began to race as the knowledge that they were alone started to sink in, seeing him sat there looking so sexy in just his track pants and tank top didn't help her already elevated level of desire. As she placed her bags on the chair she began to chew on her lip trying not to think of the many places she wanted to touch him, or how nice it would feel to have his lips on hers, "Sorry that I forgot the permission slip."

His eyes began to wander from her head to her toes as he held out the form for her to take, "I'm not." He let his eyes continue to trail up and down her body, he was admiring every single inch of it and appreciating every single curve as the image of her naked flashed through his mind, "I like being able to appreciate what you're wearing."

Practically shoving the form in her bag it allowed her a moment to compose herself, the way that he had been looking her up and down had sent shivers up her spine. She only had a couple of minutes before her next class which made their time that much more precious, however she wasn't sure what the purpose of this visit was, "So why did you want me to come in here after class?"

Now she was here he wasn't sure he had asked her. In the original moment the words had slipped out of his lips because he had been enjoying the way that she had been reacting to his kisses, "I don't know. I liked the way you reacted to my touch and I wasn't sure that I could wait until tomorrow to see you but the words just came out."

Inhaling deeply she listened to him talk about not wanting to wait to see her and then she slowly exhaled in an attempt to keep her feelings under control. As much as she enjoyed being with him and hearing how he felt about her she knew that that was all it could be as she glanced at her watch and saw the time, "I want to do so much but I have to get to class."

"Is there anything you would specifically like right this second? You can spare a couple of minutes as I will cover for you."

She moved closer to stand between his legs, there were two things she wanted but she wasn't sure either of them should happen, she knew that if they did she would just want so much more, "I . . . can't."

When his girlfriend was so close to him that he could touch her he couldn't resist the opportunity. His hands were soon on her waist and he rubbed up and down her sides in what he hoped was a comforting way, "Are you sure?"

The touch of his hands on her body made her wish that they it was after school and they were back at his place all alone. Her dreams were just that, dreams, but the longer he rubbed her sides the more she relaxed. Her eyes slid closed as he accidentally brushed the underside of her breasts sending another shiver down her spine and a shot of desire straight to her core, "No, I just want you. What can I do for you?"

The thought of her doing anything for him right now when he had a class due to arrive any moment was almost enough to bring him back to reality and for him to stop it all, but the desire in her eyes was equally as powerful, "You're okay, let me spoil you." The fact that her eyes were still closed and her back had arched ever so slightly towards his hands gave him an indication of what she would like. He pressed his lips against hers and slid his hands from her sides to between them, covering her breasts gently massaging them at the same pace as he kissed her tasting the remainders of whatever she had put on her lips this morning.

She hadn't expected more than a quick kiss if she was lucky but feeling his hands on her breasts and with his lips on hers it was too much for her body to handle, she needed so much more but yet she knew that they didn't have long. She quickly made a decision to risk it all in an attempt to get what she needed from Paul, pulling down the front of her bra and vest top so his hands were now on her bare breasts, she slipped her hands around his neck holding him close at the same time as tilting her head a little further and opening her mouth to deepen the kiss.

He was so caught up in the kiss that he didn't pay a lot of attention to her tugging at her top, but when his hands were now on her bare breasts he pulled back briefly from the kiss as his brain had a fight with itself about what he should do. H couldn't help but admire the way her head fell back as she arched her back pushing her chest towards him and her mouth was slightly parted as he continued to tease her nipples with his thumbs, "You're beautiful." He was so caught up in what he was feeling as she reacted so much to the things he was doing to her that he lost all sense of time and where they were. He leaned closer to her again and trailed kisses down the side of her neck and then kissed along the top of both breasts, moving lower he took one of her nipples into his mouth sucking on it gently as his hand continued to play with her other breast.

The surprising feel of his mouth on her breast caused a gasp to leave her lips as she squirmed a little needing attention elsewhere on her body too. Despite it all she was too embarrassed to say anything so she just clutched his head holding it to her as he continued to kiss, lick and tease her breasts.

It didn't take Einstein to figure out that his girlfriend was horny with the way that she was clutching at his head and the way that her chest was heaving as she panted heavily. Like any good boyfriend he wanted to take care of her, or that is what he told himself to feel better about the fact that he wanted to touch her as much as she wanted him to touch her. Slowly removing his lips from her breast he couldn't help but smile at her reaction as her head immediately snapped up and she looked at him in shock, "How would you feel about being late for class?"

"Why would I be late?" She was so far gone down the path of desire that she didn't register the fact that she was probably already going to be late for her class no matter what.

As a way to convince himself that this was the right thing to do he told himself that he would feel bad for leaving her hanging if he stopped so he had to do this for her, "You'd be late so I can get you off. It won't be anything special but if you think you need release then I will give it to you."

She couldn't help but blush a deep shade of red, she needed a release badly but she was still embarrassed about being completely open and honest about how she felt, "I . . . need it badly. Are you sure we can?"

Quickly moving to the door he locked it securely making sure that no matter what they couldn't be disturbed, he should have done that a lot sooner so they were lucky they hadn't gotten caught by somebody, "Nobody can walk in and I have a few minutes for you I promise, my next class is always late."

Anxiety bubbled in her stomach at the thought of him getting her off here and now, as she kicked her feet along the floor nervously his hands somehow found their way back to her breasts almost making the decision for her as the teasing began again. She looked past him and instead chose to focus on the wall over his head, she was too embarrassed to look into his eyes and admit that it would be one sided, "I can't give you . . . you know, but please."

He settled back on the edge of the desk with her agreement, he didn't mind that she said that she couldn't do anything for him as the way that he wanted his release would have to be done in private. He pulled her closer by the waistband of her low riding jeans and undid the button and zip watching the muscles in her stomach tense as he got closer to her centre, "Can I push them down a bit?"

She temporarily lost her voice as she watched him but she nodded her head continuing to watch his movements as he pushed her jeans down to her knees. Suddenly overcome with embarrassment as he clearly saw the wet patch on her panties she felt an overwhelming desire to apologise, "I'm sorry, you turned me on earlier."

The thoughts running through his head as he looked at her body stuttered to a stop as she apologised, gripping her hips he pulled her closer, "Don't be sorry that you're turned on, it tells me that I am doing my job as a boyfriend right." Suddenly having an idea for a better way to do this he pulled her pants back up and led her around his desk, "Humour me please." He sat down in his chair and pulled her down to straddle his one leg, "Comfortable?"

She shifted a little until she actually was comfortable on his his leg before she nodded her head not sure why they were here like this, "Yes, why?"

His girlfriend was completely oblivious to his plan and it was such a turn on but he wasn't going to worry about him now, it was all about her. Paul slipped his hand inside her jeans and covered her pussy over the top of her panties shuddering at how wet she was, "Because I can do this easier."

A gasp quickly left her lips as she felt his hand touching her so close to her most intimate part and almost exactly how she needed him to touch her but it wasn't enough or good enough, She began to rock her hips against his hand clutching at his biceps as she did so and the pleasure built, "Do you like doing that?"

It was such a simple question for her to ask him and his instinctive response was to shake his head but as soon as he had he felt guilty as she the look that immediately crossed her face was one of pure pain, "I would prefer to be touching you skin to skin. Thoughts?"

"Paul I am half naked, wet and so horny, what do you think?"

He decided not to waste any time when they had very little time as it was so he moved his hand from her pants and slipped it inside her panties groaning at the wetness that was now covering his palm.

Her eyes closed, her head fell back and her body arched when she felt his hand sliding inside her panties teasing her as it made its way to the position where he was covering her entire wetness. Her body tensed before she inhaled deeply, she wanted to scream at the pleasure of it all, "Fuck yes Paul, fill me."

He hadn't planned to do more than play with her clit until she orgasmed but when she asked he couldn't say no, he could never say no to her when she looked at him with her beautiful blue eyes that showed so much emotion, "How many fingers?"

The words had escaped her lips when she hadn't meant to say them, when he asked how many fingers she decided to take advantage of the fact that he was willing to give her what she needed by asking for enough that she would hopefully be seeing stars, "Two."

It was Paul's turn to groan now, he had no idea how he was keeping himself from having a raging hard on for her. The longer that they were in this room the harder it was for him to contain his own desires, "Raise your hips a little and I will get you off."

Her hands clutched at his shoulders as she lifted herself from his leg leaning closer and quickly pressed her lips against his moaning into his mouth as she felt two fingers enter her filling her more than she thought was possible due to the angle. As the air left her lungs she pulled away from the kiss gasping for air she buried her face into his neck inhaling his aftershave as her body adjusted to the feeling of his fingers inside of her.

The position that she was in currently was not going to be safe or comfortable so wanting to protect her he moved his hand in her pants so it was more comfortable for them both, "Sit down."

She began to follow his instructions and her head fell back as she lowered herself back down on his leg immediately feeling his fingers go deeper insider of her, "Holy shit."

When she swore it had to mean only good things but wanting to make this the best orgasm it could be he leaned forward and began paying attention to the breast he hadn't yet played with and he slipped his other hand between them and began to play with her clit. Using his tongue to tease her nipple his finger rubbed back and forth on her clit feeling her muscles tightening around his other fingers.

Stephanie held his head to her breast, the stimulation she was getting from all parts of her body was exactly what she needed to get her off. As he drove her higher she began to rock her hips against his fingers trying to get them deeper, "Yes!"

The pleasure she was feeling right now was great but it wasn't enough to get her off so she removed her hands from his shoulders and slid one hand down her body until she covered his fingers on her clit. She put more pressure on his fingers that were playing with her clit until it was enough and then she then moved it up to her free breast to stimulate it. Whilst teasing her nipple with one hand her other hand slipped behind his head with the intention to pull him up to her face for a kiss, as he was particularly rough with her clit she accidentally pulled on his hair causing him to bite down on her nipple sending shots of pleasure right from her head to her toes.

As she rocked back and forth on his leg and he flicked her clit he could feel her getting closer to the edge of her orgasm and he was focussed on tipping her over it. When she pulled hard on his hair out of nowhere he accidentally bit down on her nipple and felt guilty so he immediately began soothing the area with his tongue in the hope of making it better.

Her hand fell away from her breast as her much needed orgasm was even closer and her hips were rocking harder and more erratically in a desperate attempt to tip her over the edge but despite all for the stimulation she still wasn't able to orgasm and he body was crying out for it, "Harder Paul, bite me harder."

There were many things he expected to happen after he bit her but hearing her ask for him to do it again and harder completely threw him off his game and he didn't know how to react, "Stephanie what do you mean?"

Clouded by desire she couldn't make sense of anything except the fact that she had enjoyed it and wanted it again, "Don't ask, just do it harder please."

He was taking his relationship in his hands but turning his attention back to her breast he rubbed her clit harder as he sucked her nipple into his mouth and bit down on it before he switched to her other breast giving it the exact same treatment so that he didn't hurt her.

She had to bite down hard on her lip as he bit her for the third time, her mouth then fell open in a silent scream and she threw her head back as her entire body arched towards him. Her orgasm hit her hard causing her pussy to gush and every single muscle in her body to tense.

Her hips continued to rock gently against his fingers as she rode out her orgasm she felt his tongue soothing her nipples but that quickly became almost painful due to the over stimulation of her body so she pulled his head away, "Stop . . . please."

When his girlfriend asked for something he was quick to give it to her, pulling back he removed his finger from her clit and admired the way her body was flushed, "I won't pull my fingers out until you stand up."

As she tried to regain her breathing and return back to Earth the overwhelming feeling that she had been left with was one of floating on the clouds, however she felt so good that if she could stay this way forever she wouldn't be unhappy.

Once her breathing returned to normal she looked at him but immediately flushed a deep shade of red when she saw that he was staring at her chest. She slowly her hips from his leg so that he could remove his fingers but she had to use his shoulders for support as her legs still felt like jelly. She groaned as he removed his fingers and she felt empty again as she quickly sat back down, "What's wrong?"

Whilst waiting for her to be ready for him to removed his fingers from inside of her he sucked his fingers that were teasing her clit clean, using that hand he gently trace the marks on her breast whilst trying to contain his guilt for the damage that he had don to her body. Clearly he had done something really stupid in asking her to come after class as he had turned into a bad boyfriend, "I marked you. I'm really sorry that I hurt you."

She looked down at herself and traced the red marks with her hand mesmerised by how it looked against her pale skin, "Paul you didn't hurt me, I really liked it but we'll talk later as I should get dressed and go." Standing up her legs were still a little wobbly but she adjusted her panties before she did her pants back up and then pulled her bra and vest top back up, "Tomorrow night I'm all yours and we can do whatever you want."

He licked his remaining fingers clean as he watched her dress and then walk over to her bag and pull on her sweater, he was relieved to know that he wasn't in any trouble with her but he wondered how long that would last once she came down from her high, "And maybe Friday night you can stay at mine?"

Surprised that he had suggested that she stay so soon after their last disastrous date she turned back to look at him and blushed as she watched him adjust himself in his track pants, "I'd like that, this time there will not be a change of plans though. I'll call you later."

Stephanie was pretty convinced that she had one of the most amazing boyfriends, hurrying around his desk she pressed a quick kiss to his lips licking her lips as she pulled away again, "Mmmm, yummy." With a cheeky smile on her face she winked at him and walked back to her bags running her fingers through her hair as she picked them up and headed to the door unlocking it before she left quickly as she had a lesson to get to.

At the front of his mind was a wish that he could see her tonight now as he was feeling the tension in his body from holding back on more than one occasion but unfortunately he just had to be patient and wait until tomorrow.

When he left his office he couldn't believe that the final girls for his next class were only just walking in to go and change, "Seriously?! Can you girls not hurry it up next time? I am sick of waiting on you all to decide to turn up so next time if anybody is so much as a minute late you'll all be getting detention." Now he had to go and set up for the class and try not to take his sexual frustration out on them.

Practically running across the campus to get to her next class she arrived and tried to sneak into English but shrank under the gaze of the teacher who clearly noticed that she was late, "I'm sorry I'm late, Mr Levesque was helping me with something."

With her thoughts scattered thanks to everything that had happened in the past ten minutes She just slid into her seat next to Belle and quickly pulled her books from her bag placing them on the desk quickly receiving a sharp dig in the ribs from Belle's elbow, "What?"

"What exactly did Mr Levesque help you with? You're looking flushed."

She turned her head to look at the other girl and rolled her eyes, "I ran across the campus as I knew I was late." Her only hope now was that she bought that half-truth but she didn't give her chance to ask questions as she looked towards the front of the class and tried to focus on the class but found her mind drifting. She carefully pulled her phone from her bag and unlocked it beneath the desk to text Kayleigh:

_I have the best boyfriend._

She sent the text and then tried to listen to what the teacher was saying and pay some attention to the class, luckily she had a free next period so she could put her mind back together then and hope that she didn't miss much in this class.


	35. Chapter 35

This is for **donthaveausername** and **Olivia** so enjoy :)

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When English ended Stephanie made her way out of the classroom and went to find herself a quiet place to sit down so she could think back over what she had done. A lot had happened this morning and she really needed to sort it all out.

Finally finding a quiet place to relax she was about to see if Kayleigh had returned her text when her phone began to ring, "Hello?"

"Miss McMahon this is Greenwich Opticians. You have an appointment with us this afternoon but unfortunately we will have to cancel your appointment as there has been an emergency and the store is closed. Would you be able to come in at lunchtime tomorrow for your appointment?"

Blinking rapidly she was trying to wrap her head around it all, "Um sure, what time?"

"Could you do 12:15?"

With a free period at the end of Tuesday morning it gave her plenty of time to eat lunch and go there for an eye exam, "Yes I could. Thank you so much for letting me know and I will see you tomorrow."

Ending the call she saw that she had received a reply from Kayleigh at last:

_What has he done now?_

A smile graced her lips as she thought back to what he had done, he was so good to her. She could only imagine what the reaction would be when her best friend read the details:

_He got me off after gym and before English. I told him I couldn't go over tonight but the appointment has been cancelled so I can tell him I'll be there now._

The reply was almost instant:

_DON'T! _

_Surprise him, he deserves it after what he did for you._

As she read the text from her best friend she realised that she was right, he deserved a surprise and a treat for how well he had treated her. If he wasn't expecting her then it would make it all so special:

_I guess I could surprise him with some sexy lingerie._

_Yes you should, he has earned that and then some._

The two of them settled into a conversation over text despite the fact that Kayleigh was in Maths and should be focussing on her class.

The rest of the day was a mixture of excitement and pain for Stephanie as she couldn't stop thinking about seeing Paul later. When she eventually arrived home she went straight for her bedroom and pulled out the sexy lingerie she had bought at the weekend from her drawers. First she changed into that before she walked into her closet and chose a floaty dress that she could easily just pull on and off.

As she stood in front of the mirror with the dress in her hand ready to pull on she stared at her reflection but as she actually looked at herself she was really anxious about the lingerie. It was quite revealing in as much as it pushed her breasts up and barely covered her nipples and the thong was skimpy and barely covered her too. The dress ended up on her bed as she tossed it to the side and then picked up her phone returning to her place in front of the mirror, taking a picture to send to Kayleigh the front door slammed shut causing her to jump out of her skin, nobody was meant to be home right now.

She scrambled to get the picture off her screen she attached the picture to a text which read, '_Do you think this is too much?_'. Without checking the recipient properly she sent the text tossing her phone onto the bed before she pulled on her dress listening carefully to the movements to know whether she was going to have to explain herself.

Barely two minutes after the front door slammed she heard her Mom's voice, "We'll be home later Stephanie, probably around nine as there is a problem at work."

She didn't even have a chance to reply before the door slammed again signalling that her Mom had left, she exhaled slowly breathing a sigh of relief that she got away with it. She quickly brushed her hair and slipped her feet into a pair of flats that were laying beside her vanity table to finish off her outfit that was easy to put on and easy to take off.

Once she was dressed and ready to leave she picked up her phone checking for her best friend's reply but she was disappointed when she didn't have one. She didn't want to wait too long to get a reply or she was going to completely lose her bottle and the time to see him so she headed out of her bedroom to drive over to Paul's. If it came to it and Kayleigh said that the lingerie was too much she could turn back around, he wasn't expecting her so he wouldn't be upset if she didn't arrive.

The second he walked through his front door after work was Paul's favourite, no actually it was his second favourite part of today. His favourite part of today had definitely been the intermission between his first two classes because it was unexpected and oh so pleasurable. A smile tugged at his lips as he thought back to exactly what he had done with Stephanie, he immediately stopped thinking about it when he felt a stirring in his groin though. He needed to stop thinking about her full stop, the more time they had been together the braver she had gotten so the only images that occupied his brain were the sexy ones.

He really needed to put some of the clothes in the laundry as they were beginning to smell so once he had put his keys on the table and checked the answer phone for messages he went straight up the stairs. The contents of his bag ended up spilled all over his bed as he turned it upside down shaking them all out onto it. When his phone beeped he ignored it preferring to go through the laundry before he replaced everything that wasn't laundry in his bag and then tossed it towards the corner of the room. Barely picking up some of the clothes that were in need of the laundry he took them to the bathroom and dumped them in the bin, returning to his bedroom he sat down on the bed with a bounce and picked up his phone to find out who had texted him.

His mouth fell open as he opened the text and looked at the content, did she really just send him that? Licking his lips his mouth was feeling incredibly dry and as much as he was trying to avoid it his cock was hardening as he looked at the picture, "Jesus Christ Stephanie, what are you doing to me?" His hand went back to his crotch touching himself through his pants, he shifted uncomfortably on the bed as he saved the picture to the folder he had opened specifically for her.

He stood up to change but as he pulled his shirt off he couldn't get the picture of Stephanie out of his head. As much as he had tried to avoid this he couldn't so he swiped his finger across the screen unlocking his phone before he sat back down on the edge of the bed. His fingers quickly guided him back to his gallery and he swiped between the two pictures, he couldn't get over the fact that this was his girlfriend, she was really hot **and** she was willing to send him racy pictures without him asking. Ultimately despite all of his best efforts he knew what he needed, and that was a release. Freeing his cock from his pants he began to stroke himself as he stared at the pictures of her.

When she arrived at his house she took a deep breath as she looked at the outside, there was no sign of life except for his car being in the drive so he must be home. Her attention turned back to her phone as she glanced down at it, she still hadn't had a reply from Kayleigh which was unusual. She didn't want to wait around or bother her if she was busy so she climbed out of the car and locked it. Anxiously she played with his front door key as she walked closer to the house, this could go so horribly wrong if he thought that the lingerie was too much but she was hoping it didn't.

Quietly she opened the front door to his house and equally as quietly shut it behind her, biting down on her lip nervously she placed her keys and phone on the table by the door and went off in search of him. She knew that he would be around here somewhere and would be surprised to see her, hopefully it would be a good surprise and he would be happy which would quell some of her nerves.

There was no sign of him downstairs as she searched each room so she made her way upstairs excited about where she might find him and maybe catching him topless. Reaching the top of the stairs she turned and went straight for the Master bedroom but stopped dead as she walked through the door and she saw him sat on the end of his bed playing with himself whilst he stared intently at his phone, "What the hell?!"

Paul's head snapped up when he heard her voice and he instantly panicked when he saw her in front of him, she was not supposed to be here right now, she wasn't supposed to find him like this. In a state of panic he scrambled to cover himself up he made sure his phone was locked so she couldn't see anything as he pulled at his pants, "Stephanie? You're not supposed to be here right now."

Her hand waved wildly as she motioned to him. She could feel her heart beginning to break into millions of tiny little pieces the longer she had to replay the images in her mind, "Clearly. Now I know why you didn't want me to get you off earlier, you were saving yourself for now. If I'm not good enough you just had to say and you could be free to do as you please."

"It's not like that Stephanie. Please, I don't want to be without you." The last thing he had wanted for her to do was see him like that as he had wanted to build up to her watching him pleasure himself, it was made worse by him staring at his phone because he was sure that didn't look good.

She had heard the girls talking on Saturday about boys looking at porn all of the time but she had never imagined that Paul would be one of those guys, "Show me what you were looking at or I'm out of here and I don't want to hear from you ever again."

There was no way he could show her what he was looking at, he was ashamed to admit the truth to her because he didn't know how she would react, "Please don't leave Stephanie. I really like you and this is not what it looked like."

If he wasn't going to be honest with her then she couldn't be with him, she didn't want to second guess herself and her relationship wondering if he didn't want to be with her on any one day because he had gotten himself off to porn. As much as it was going to kill her to do it she had to do it for her own sake and she would learn to be okay with it, "If that's how you feel. It was nice while it lasted Paul. I don't want to hear from you ever again, goodbye."

The heartbreak was clear on her face before she turned around to leave. He just couldn't do it, he couldn't lose her because he was too scared to be honest. If he was going to lose her he needed to be honest first, "Wait! I'll show you." His hand patted the bed looking for his phone before finding and picking it up, he unlocked it and held it out to her for her to take. He kept his head down as he couldn't bear to look at her as she saw the truth.

Her eyes were all over the room as she closed the distance between them taking the phone from him, she immediately gasped when she saw the lingerie shot. She didn't know how he had this photo as she had sent it to Kayleigh, hadn't she? She was so confused now, "How did you get this? This wasn't meant to come to you?"

His head snapped up to look at her when she said that and his mind started running a million miles an hour, "Then exactly who was it meant for?"

Between the two of them things were just getting more confused and felt bad for him that she was contributing to it even though she shouldn't, "Kayleigh. My appointment was cancelled so the plan was to surprise you. I sent it to her to get a second opinion before you saw me but clearly it went to you and not her."

"I see. I'm sorry if you think I'm a creep for staring at your naked picture and that picture but you looked so hot. I was trying to not get to this point until I was with you but well that lingerie picture was my undoing. Are you leaving me still?" He didn't know how to tackle what she had walked in on, he would find a way if she was staying, he just needed to know if he had lost her first.

Her gaze went from his phone to the tent in his pants, back to his phone and then to his face and she wasn't sure what to make of any of it, "Did these really make you hard?"

He didn't even hesitate to answer, "Yes, absolutely yes. I don't know what you think could be the reason but I guarantee that I am as hard as a rock because of your pictures. I was trying not to touch myself because I wanted to wait until I was with you tomorrow. I was really hopeful that you missed the intimacy as much as I had and we could connect physically again, if you know what I mean, but when I got the lingerie shot and my body betrayed me and I couldn't wait." Time was passing and he was not able to wait much longer, he really needed to get a release soon as he was physically hurting to go along with the word vomit he had acquired.

In an attempt to calm her racing heart she took a few deep breaths as she processed what he said. She had listened to what he had said about missing the intimacy and the fact that he had been staring at the pictures of her and nothing else she felt like she could do one thing for him. Stephanie threw his phone somewhere onto his bed and then she reached down and took hold of the bottom of her dress, slowly pulling it up over her head she tossed it on the floor, "Is in person better than a picture?"

He watched her every moment unsure of whether she was going to just walk out, but as she removed her dress he watched as every inch of her body came into view and he gulped, this was so much better than on the screen. He couldn't stop himself from looking her up and down all of the time, there was not one part of her body that he did not love, "Umm Steph, as amazing as this scene is I don't want to make you uncomfortable."

The emotions that she saw swirling in his eyes gave her the confidence to close the distance between them. When she reached him she tipped his head back with her fingers, "Well you did say I could watch you so why not now? You know you want to Paul." Her fingers caressed his chin as she leaned down and pressed a passionate kiss to his lips, moaning when his hand slipped behind her neck holding her close as his opened his mouth to accommodate her tongue which she was teasing his lips with. She had to resist the urge to push him back and climb on the bed and just have sex with him, this was going to be about him and not about her as earlier was about her and it was time to repay the favour.

He couldn't help himself from moaning into the kiss, the way that her lips felt against his was so right. His free hand moved from resting on his lap to covering her one breast teasing her nipple with his fingers causing her to moan into his mouth and grip his chin a little tighter.

As much as she was enjoying the kiss and the way that he was touching her she had to pull away from the kiss before things went too far between them, "Nuh uh, no touching me." Getting down onto her knees she gripped the waistband of his pants and underwear and pulled on them, as soon as he raised his hips she pulled them all the way down and off before she tossed them elsewhere in the room and then stood back up.

Once his pants were off his hand immediately went to his cock gripping it gently before he began to stroke himself staring at her body intently. She was absolutely beautiful and had the most amazing body and he couldn't get enough of looking at it, at her.

She couldn't tear her eyes away from his cock and the way he was pleasuring himself, she hadn't ever seen anything like that before. So captivated by the way it looked she soon she found herself on her knees in front of him, "Can I touch you?"

Paul snapped out of his haze, her question was a surprise to him but he nodded his head, taking hold of her hand to guide her as she tentatively reached out to touch him. His need to reach orgasm caused him to forcefully grab her hand wrapping it around his cock beneath his own hand before he began to stroke up and down again. The feeling of her hand beneath his was completely different to anything he had felt before and every single second felt like a step closer to heaven. As the pleasure built and he got closer and closer to the edge he let his eyes slide closed, he wanted to focus on the image that he had committed to his mind of her wearing nothing but lingerie and also the way her hand felt moving up and down his cock occasionally moaning in pleasure, "So close."

Mesmerised by the cock in front of her Stephanie couldn't stop herself from leaning forward and gently licking the pre-cum that had gathered on the head. She remained close and licked her lips savouring the taste of it as she kept watching as their hands moved up and down his cock.

The second he felt her tongue on him his entire body stiffened and his grip on her hand over his cock tightened, "Steph, don't do that."

"Shhh Paul, just relax."

He didn't know if she even knew what she was doing but he was too far into what he needed to question her so just focussed on reaching his peak as he was oh so close.

The taste of his cum lingered on her lips, licking them clean now that she had tasted a little she wanted more. She leant forward and licked him again smiling as she heard him moan feeling his grip on her hand tighten and he moved it faster.

"Steph I'm about to cum, so close."

She let her lips touch the head one more time before she sat back a little but remained close so she could watch when he came as she was enthralled by the whole thing. His hand started moving even faster and his moans started become more frequent before he came hard all over his hand, stomach and a little on her chest too as she had been so close.

Paul fell back on the bed panting hard after releasing his grip on his cock, "Thank . . . you."

Stephanie briefly sat back down on the floor she looked up at him admiring the way he looked so sexy relaxing on the bed as his chest heaved up and down. Being closer to him was so inviting so she moved to sit on the edge of the bed. Whilst she waited for him to open his eyes she couldn't help but bite down on her lip and wonder what his cum really tasted like, he tasted hers so freely so maybe she could try his. Her hand reached out to touch him but she snatched it back again before she tried again, this time she tentatively scooped a little bit of cum from his stomach onto her finger placing it in her mouth, closing her eyes she took a moment to taste it properly and see how she felt about it.

His eyes had opened and were now focussed on her as she put her finger to her lips, he couldn't help but squirm a little as she tasted his cum, "Seriously Steph?"

Her eyes snapped open to look at him almost forgetting that he was there as she was so focussed on tasting his cum, "What?"

"That ranks up there with one of the hottest things you have ever done. What do you think?"

Shrugging her shoulders she hadn't made up her mind yet, "I don't have an opinion yet, I'd like to try more."

Why did he have to have the hottest girlfriend? In an attempt not to come on too strong he tried to bite back his groan and play it off by teasing her, "If I were you before I clean myself up I'd taste a little more."

She couldn't deny that he made a good point. She had the perfect opportunity now to taste more and decide if she liked it without feeling under pressure to swallow it all. She remained silent as she chewed on her lip, she bent forward and stuck out her tongue licking a little up from his stomach keeping her face shielded by her hair as she was so unsure of how she felt.

"Holy shit." Paul hadn't meant for her to do that but damn did it feel good that she had. He tried to wait for her to sit up again before he mauled her but he couldn't wait so he pulled on her hair pulling her up towards him. As soon as she was close enough he leant up and captured her lips in a passionate kiss rubbing her cheek with his thumb as he did so relishing the way their lips felt brushing against each other.

The way that he had reacted to her allowing him to stare at her was such a turn on however knowing what she had done made her nervous. Her heart felt like it was going to beat out of her chest as she pulled back from the kiss reluctantly glancing up at him, "Paul! I just . . ."

She was so cute and shy that he couldn't help but smile at her. He was so lucky to have her in his life and he knew it, "I know what you did. Just like you were willing to kiss me after I had tasted your cum, I am willing to kiss you after you had tasted my cum."

Confused to hear that he was willing to do that as she had heard that men refused to kiss women after they'd swallowed the man's cum. Her hand moved to grip his which had dropped to the bed from her cheek when she had pulled back from the kiss and she raised her eyebrow, "Really?"

He wanted and needed to prove a point to her so that she wasn't self conscious so he quickly sat up and leaned closer to her, lowering his head he licked the little bit of cum from her chest. When he looked back at her face there was something in her eyes that he couldn't quite read, "Uh huh, I don't mind like you didn't mind, unless you lied? Now you're clean I am going to go and clean myself up in the bathroom."

Faster than lightning she pushed him back onto the bed, she needed to be in control of the space that they had right now, "I didn't lie to you, I am happy to kiss you after you have tasted my cum. You should just relax here, let me get something to clean you up with." Almost falling to the floor in her haste to stand up she left the room to retrieve a cloth from the bathroom to clean him up. Whilst she was in the bathroom it would give her a minute to compose herself so she didn't just jump him the second she returned to the bedroom, she was so turned on and in desperate need of a good fucking, no making love, the harder it was the better.


	36. Chapter 36

She stood staring at herself in the mirror unsure of who she was looking at, her face was flushed and she was barely wearing any clothes and she didn't recognise herself. She had started off so confident but as things had happened her confidence had fallen, now despite the way he had reacted and how he had looked at her she was scared to tell him what she needed.

When she walked back into that room he would no longer be ruled by desire, she would have to face the reality of the decisions that she had made and she was petrified. Soaking a cloth in some warm water she wrung it out and reluctantly made her way back into the bedroom and gently began to clean him up.

Once she had cleaned him up she went to wash out the cloth before she made her way back to the bedroom and sat beside him on the bed.

He was expecting, and hoping for, her to join him on the bed and then cuddle with him. When he felt the bed dip slightly as she sat down and then she didn't lay down he forced his eyes open to see her sat looking tense beside him. Still not wanting to sit up he just ran his hand up and down her back, "If a cuddle isn't out of the question I would really like one, unless things are really weird between us now."

The touch of his fingers on her back was causing goosebumps to break out across her skin, "Are things weird? Do you think badly of me now or something?"

"Really Steph? Have you ever got that vibe from me tonight?"

Stephanie looked down at her hands as she played with her fingers, "No?"

He moved his hand to the hip furthest away from him and tried to pull her closer, "Good, then get your ass lying on this bed and cuddle with me please. And just so we're clear, the closer you are to me the better."

She briefly placed her hand over his on her hip before she turned and lay down on the bed, cuddling up to his side she kept her hips a little distance from his so he didn't feel exactly how much she wanted him. Her head came to rest on his chest and her arm lay across his waist as a soft sigh passed her lips, being close to him was far too perfect as he made everything else she was feeling, including the throbbing between her legs, disappear.

No words needed to be spoken when he was with her, everything between them was fine in silence. As comfortable as the silence was though Paul felt like there was a distance between them, "Steph are you mad at me? It feels like there is this distance between us for a reason that I don't know of."

"I'm not mad at you."

"Then just get closer please, I want to enjoy holding you in my arms and cuddling you properly."

She took a deep breath and shuffled closer and draped her leg over his angling her body in what she thought was the best way to avoid embarrassment, he didn't agree with how she was laying though and quickly grabbed her leg pulling her closer until her entire body was pressed against his side.

Closing her eyes she tried to ignore her head as it tried to tell her that he now knew what a slut she was and tried to convince herself that he wouldn't think anything of it. She began to trace patterns over his abs and tried to just relax.

As her body pressed against his side he could feel how wet she was and he didn't understand why she hadn't said anything, he had already told her that he missed the intimacy between them. His hand began to stroke her leg hoping to achieve something but when she didn't react he had to try something else, "You're still not close enough for me to cuddle properly so please come even closer."

How was she supposed to know what close enough was? If she wanted to relax before she had to leave then this would have to be her last move. She pushed herself up and moved to straddle his hips before she lay back down again, "Close enough?"

He hadn't even needed to specifically ask for it to get what he wanted. He pressed a kiss to the top of her head and looped his arms around her waist, "I have no arguments any longer."

The two of them lay there quietly for a little while before Paul began to run his hand up and down her back, "So when were you going to tell me that you're horny and need some relief?"

Immediately she panicked and attempted to sit up but he planted his hands firmly on her back holding her there, "How . . . how did you know?"

"Oh you know, I could feel your wetness and your hard nipples pressing against my chest."

Embarrassed she attempted to hide in his chest, "Oh my God."

His hands moved to the clasp of her bra, "Say the word and this can come off to get you what you want."

She daren't look up as she muttered, "Need."

Hearing his girlfriend say 'need' changed his mind on how he was going to play it. His one hand went to her face gently stroking her cheek as it slid down to her chin forcing her to lift her head but not allowing her any time to ask questions as he immediately captured her lips in a passionate kiss.

Surprised by the kiss she quickly scrambled to get her hands into a position where they could hold her up as she returned the kiss with as much passion as she could manage.

He waited until he knew that she was completely lost in the kiss before he nimbly undid her bra and then slipped his hands between them to cover her now free breasts.

The sound that came out of her mouth when she felt his hands on her breasts was almost inhuman, she needed him so much and his hands on her body was just torture. Slowly pulling back from the kiss she closed her eyes so that she didn't have to look at his face, "Paul I can't."

Confused he stared at her, "Can't?"

Why couldn't he accept her words and move on? She sat up properly removing his hands from her breasts, "Can't. What I need tonight is not something that I can expect from you." She was allowing her fears to control her decisions and she knew it.

Paul's head was beginning to hurt as he was so confused, they had gone from hopefully progressing to sex to her saying what she needed she couldn't expect from him and he was confused. He tried to figure out where things had gone so wrong but he had no idea, "I don't get it."

A mix of sexual frustration and pure frustration at herself resulted in her blurting it all out, "I don't want to make love, I don't want to have sex, I need to fuck."

Curse words threatened to fall from his mouth hearing her say that but it wasn't going to help him get past her barriers, "And that would be a problem why?"

Now that he had posed the question she didn't actually have an answer for him.

Silence could only mean that he was getting through to her but he hadn't won her over yet. He continued his quest to persuade her that it wasn't a bad thing by pulling himself a little further up the bed and thrusting his rapidly hardening cock against her covered pussy, "Are you sure you don't want to _fuck_?"

Her eyes widened when she felt his cock touch her, she was now so far from sure that she couldn't even see the word. When he thrust up against her again she whimpered and tore her bra from where it was hanging and tossed it to the floor, "Don't tease me."

His tongue flicked out to wet his dry lips as he stared at his girlfriend sat half naked above him, she was so beautiful. His hands moved to grip her hips pulling her down as he thrust up watching as her eyes rolled to the back of her head, "You like this?"

No longer thinking of anything but how it felt as his cock brushed her clit through her panties she rocked her hips against him enjoying the feel of him getting harder.

Just watching her and the feel of the wetness against his cock was getting him rock hard and he wasn't ashamed, not tonight. It was time to take things up a notch so he stopped the movement of both of their hips, "Let's turn things up."

"No! Don't stop." Her entire body flushed red as the words left her mouth and she felt like crawling under the bed to hide to get away from his gaze.

"If we don't move things along you won't get what you want."

Her fingers moved to play with the one hand on her hip, she may aswell be honest, "Please Paul, just a minute longer because I'm about to cum."

Well that put a whole new spin on why she didn't want to stop but it did give him an idea, "Why don't you remove those panties and get an even more pleasurable feeling?"

She didn't ask any questions, she simply rolled off him and stood up to removed her panties before she climbed back onto the bed and straddled his hips again, "Right here?"

His hands moved back to her hips as he thrust his up, "You tell me?"

A scream passed her lips at the even more pleasurable sensation which gave Paul the answer he needed and he continue to thrust his hips up and pull her down to meet him.

As the pleasure coiled in her stomach she needed just a little extra pleasure to set it off and she knew exactly what she wanted. She leant forward resting her weight on her hands just as he thrust up again causing another scream to pass her lips as the new angle gave her even more pleasure but it still wasn't enough, "Don't judge me for this but I need you to bite me, please."

Unsure he stopped the movements of his hips and looked up at her breasts as they dangled tantalisingly close to his face, they were going to need to discuss this as she kept throwing it at him when she was so close to orgasm, "Really? Are you sure?"

"Yes! Earlier was amazing and I need something to help my orgasm. If you can't then it's okay."

He didn't want to disappoint her and it wasn't bad so he carefully pushed on her back until she was close enough that he could suck a nipple into his mouth. As he thrust up once he focussed on teasing it and then the next time he thrust up he bit down on her nipple at the same time.

The feel of him biting her and his cock brushing her clit sent her over the edge. Her back arched and her pussy gushed as she moaned his name in pleasure, she felt so good with the orgasm coursing through her veins.

Releasing her nipple Paul quickly rolled them over and thrust his cock into her groaning at the way her eyes flew open and her mouth opened in a silent scream. He kept his cock still deep inside of her as he kissed up her neck and towards her ear, "Mmm, you feel so good wrapped around me."

Stephanie wrapped her legs around her boyfriend's waist and held on tightly as her body shuddered with aftershocks. When she finally felt her body begin to relax again she loosened her grip on him, "Paul."

He couldn't help but smile against her skin at the way she said his name, "Are you ready to be _fucked_ yet?"

Whimpering a shiver ran down her spine at the way he said that, "I'm more than ready."

Paul pressed his lips against his girlfriend's in a passionate kiss as he unhooked her legs from around his waist to give him room as he began to move his hips allowing her to adjust briefly before he gave her what she wanted.

There was nothing better than being close to her boyfriend after what felt like forever so she took every kiss she could get as his hips began to speed up beginning to wring moans from her lips. When he began to pound into her her mouth fell open in a silent scream, he was touching her in places that she didn't even know she had and it felt so good.

He couldn't take his eyes off his girlfriend's face as he increased the power of his thrusts, he was initially looking for signs of discomfort but now he was just enthralled by her reaction to it all. His lips moved to her ear as he went as hard as he was willing to, "So how does it feel to be _fucked_?"

Grasping at his back she squeezed her eyes tightly shut, "So good, don't stop."

"Why would I stop when I am enjoying myself so much?" He slipped his hand between them and began to occasionally rub her clit back and forth enjoying the way her muscles would contract with each touch.

Before long the pleasure was too much and he wasn't going to last so his touches on her clit became constant and slowly built in pressure.

When he began to build her towards another climax Stephanie began to trail open mouthed kisses up and down the side of his neck as she panted searching for his sweet spot. Eventually finding the spot she was looking for she began to suck on it gently moaning against his skin when he went impossibly harder, "Fuck Paul."

Their movements became frantic and erratic as they both got closer and closer to their own release. Before long the pleasure was too much for Stephanie and she bit down on his shoulder as she came hard around him.

The feeling of his girlfriend's release and the way that she was gripping him triggered Paul's release and he collapsed on top of her as he came.

Her entire body felt like jelly but she felt satiated, she couldn't have asked for her needs to be taken care of any more than he had.

When he rolled off her Paul rolled his girlfriend with him so that she was now resting beside him with her head on his chest and his arms wrapped around her.

They lay there in a comfortable silence for a while with the only sound being their pants as they both tried to regain their breathing.

Lifting her head to kiss her boyfriend and to thank him for giving her exactly what she needed her eyes were drawn to the bite mark on his shoulder. Her fingers came out to trace the mark before she leant forward and kissed it gently, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you."

He could only stare at her confused as he was definitely not hurt, "Huh?"

"The bite on your shoulder, I didn't mean to hurt you."

Despite craning his neck to an almost uncomfortable position he still couldn't see the bite mark, "It's not hurting so don't worry. Talking of biting though, we need to talk about you."

She didn't want to talk about her finding so much pleasure out of him biting her so she would avoid it. First step to avoiding it would be getting out of here, as much as she would prefer to stay in his arms all night she couldn't stay and face that, "I need to get home before my parents do."

He looked over at the clock as she went to get up, he wanted to believe that her leaving had nothing to do with what he had said but he couldn't, "Are you honestly leaving for that reason?"

Frozen in the middle of climbing off the bed she couldn't move, he had seen right through her, "If I said no would you be mad?"

"It depends why you are saying no." He patted the bed beside him inviting her to join him again, "Talk to me."

She wanted to ignore him, get dressed and to just leave but her heart wouldn't let her. Inhaling deeply she moved back up the bed and sat beside him, "I'm saying no because I don't have to be home yet, my parents aren't going to be back until about nine again. I just can't face the conversation that I know you want to have."

As much as he wanted to have the conversation he would rather have her here with him and not have it than to not have her or the conversation, "If I were to say I won't attempt to talk about it will you stay?"

"Maybe?"

Pushing himself to a sitting position he moved closer and kissed her shoulder, "I promise that if you stay I won't ask you about it. I do want to talk about it but I can wait so it isn't tonight."

Twisting back to look at him she pressed her lips against his in a brief kiss before she pulled back again, "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

He shuffled back up the bed and lay down comfortably watching her and waiting for her to join him again and when she did she didn't disappoint him.

Stephanie lay down beside him cuddling close to him, resting her head on his chest and draping a leg over one of his holding onto him, "Best boyfriend ever, thank you."

Laughing softly he pressed a kiss to the top of her head, "I try. Just talk to me okay, don't run off because you're afraid, vocalise it and we can figure it out."

"Mmhmm, I promise that I'll try."

The two fell silent, they both knew that realistically they had things that they should be doing but in reality they much preferred being together in the moment than facing reality.


	37. Chapter 37

This is for **SMHHHFan** and for the people on Twitter who were begging for two updates this week, enjoy :)

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When she arrived home just after eight thirty Stephanie was surprised to see her parents were home, "Fuck." As she made her way towards the front door she made sure that she looked presentable before she let herself in, "I'm home."

Linda was concerned about her daughter and when she couldn't get her on the phone she was beginning to panic, "Where have you been?"

"At a friend's house, why? You said you wouldn't be back until nine and it's not that yet so why are you worried?"

She couldn't help but stare at her daughter like she had lost her mind, "Maybe because you weren't here, you didn't leave a note to say where you were and then you didn't answer your phone when I called."

When she was in such a good mood she didn't want her Mom to destroy it, "You said yourself you wouldn't be back until nine so why leave a note saying where I was when I was expecting to be back before you? As for my phone, I'm sorry but I just didn't hear it ring and haven't checked it for missed calls or texts yet. If it's all the same to you I am going to do my homework so if you'll excuse me."

She practically ran up the stairs desperate to get away from her Mom before she brought her mood down. All but slamming her door shut behind her she didn't care that she hadn't eaten dinner, she just needed to get away from playing twenty questions. Tossing her phone onto the bed she didn't have time to check it as after spending most of the evening with Paul it was late and she hadn't even started her homework yet.

It took an extra cup of coffee but when Stephanie walked into school on Tuesday morning she was awake having been up until nearly two doing homework.

The first person that she saw when she entered school was Hugh and as he looked at her she flipped him off, if he even attempted to flirt with her then she would rip into him as she was too tired to be polite and deal with him.

As she sat down in home room she stifled a yawn as Belle sat beside her, "Somebody forgot to sleep last night. By the way, I'm really proud of you for flipping Hugh off, he was talking shit about you but soon shut up."

"I was up until two am doing homework so have no time to deal with his bullshit, if I wouldn't get suspended for it I would totally punch him today."

Belle couldn't help but laugh, "Remind me not to get on your bad side when you haven't slept much. After this do you want to grab some coffee and run over to the gym to drop the forms off to Mr Levesque? I told the girls that I'd do it but you can tag along with yours if you want."

As soon as the form was mentioned she groaned, "Fuck, I completely forgot to get my parents to sign the form but that's mainly because I just avoided them to avoid an argument. I'll still tag along for the coffee if you don't mind please." She was hoping the offer to see Paul would be on offer too but didn't want to assume.

"You only get coffee if you accompany me aaaalllll the way to the gym."

She laughed and nudged her friend in the ribs with her elbow, "Yeah, because the gym is sooo far away." Rolling her eyes she stifled a yawn, "Maybe the fresh air will do me good so let's do this."

The conversation ended when the teacher appeared leaving Stephanie to think about how she was dressed as she was going to be face to face with her boyfriend.

After home room the two of them took everybody's completed form and made their way across to the gym.

When they entered the gym it was eerily quiet, "Do you think anybody is here?"

She felt like she shouldn't be here and could only whisper her response to Belle, "I don't know. We can always just leave the forms on his desk, if his office is open."

Belle grabbed hold of Stephanie's arm and held it tightly, "This place is giving me the creeps. People say this is haunted and I don't want to stay to find out." She practically dragged her friend to the door and quickly knocked on it.

Absorbed in planning out the finer details for Friday with regards to where he should sit and other minor details he was surprised by a knock at his door, "Come in." He sat back in his chair and almost smiled when he saw his girlfriend but stopped himself when he saw that she wasn't alone, "Good morning you two. What can I do for you today?"

Both girls were relieved to know that he was in his office so upon entering Belle stepped forward with the forms, "I have collected all of the forms that have been completed so far and brought them as one so that you're not interrupted all day."

He smiled politely as he took them off her, "Thank you. Am I to assume that both of your forms are in here?"

Stephanie couldn't help but blush and look down, "No, I forgot to get my parents to fill mine in as I was busy last night."

The mention of her being busy last night immediately brought the images to his mind, "Well I hope that you had fun whatever you were doing."

Lifting her gaze her eyes connected with his, "Oh I did, I really did thank you. I promise that I'll have my form completed by the end of the week."

"Thanks girls." He spun around in his chair to place the completed forms in on the filing cabinet on the back wall before he spun back to face them, "Is there anything else I can help you with?"

As he spun away and then back to face them she noticed the mark on his shoulder, "What did you do to your shoulder Mr Levesque?"

"My shoulder?" He quickly felt each shoulder to see if he could feel what was wrong with his shoulder.

Her boyfriend may have been oblivious to what Belle had noticed but she knew exactly what she had seen and she was embarrassed, she couldn't believe that she had actually bitten him so hard that he was still marked and he hadn't noticed it.

"Your right shoulder, it looks like a bite mark. Did your girlfriend do that to you?"

His eyes widened and he immediately put his hand on his shoulder, "I think that it is time that the two of you left as I have things that I need to do before my next class."

"Sorry to take up your time." Stephanie grabbed hold of Belle's arm and dragged her towards the door, "Come on you."

As soon as the two of them had left Paul was on his feet and in search of the nearest mirror that he could find to see what the damage was. When he found a mirror and saw the mark he groaned, as hot as it was that she had done it he couldn't keep it on show. He made his way back to his office and swapped his tank top for a t-shirt to hide the mark before he went back to what he had been doing.

After dragging the other girl out of the gym Stephanie let go of her arm, "I can't believe you actually noticed and asked him about that."

Belle shrugged, she didn't know what the big deal was, "Why not? He had it on show so it was fair game to mention it. It was so his girlfriend that gave it to him, that or he kidnaps people in his spare time and somebody he kidnapped fought back."

Snorting she stopped dead, she wasn't sure if that was the most hilarious thing that she had ever heard or the most insulting to him, "Don't say that around him, he might actually put you in detention. Let's get this coffee though, I need one for History and one for my eye exam at lunchtime."

Once Belle was distracted she pulled her phone from her pocket to text her boyfriend:

_I'm sorry for hurting you, really really sorry. Belle thinks either your gf did it or you kidnap people in your spare time._

She sent the text and then put her phone away so that she didn't have to answer awkward questions.

Paul hadn't had chance to check his phone since he locked it away upon his arrival at school so when he had lunch free he unlocked his desk and removed it. The first text he saw was one from Diana with a picture of Leila in a little onesie with the slogan 'Uncle's Little Princess' emblazoned across the chest:

_I saw this and thought of you. How cute does she look?_

_The cutest. I was hoping to come to see you on Sunday if you're free and will have me._

After sending the text he moved on to the next one which happened to be the one from Stephanie and he didn't know how to reply, they were both in the same position worrying about hurting the other and really needed to talk it over:

_Don't worry u didn't hurt me, it was all pleasure ;-) We need to discuss this though. Maybe I should start kidnapping people, I have my first victim in mind :D_

With the two important texts replied to he skimmed over what was left as he began to eat his lunch.

She was sat in the office waiting for her eye exam as they were running behind when she got his text. She wanted to reply to him but the idea of talking about it scared her as he had bitten her in a different scenario to when she had bitten him. Luckily her name was called so she quickly slid her phone into her pocket and followed them into the room.

After her eye exam she returned to school for afternoon classes and then headed home, she could go over to Paul's but she could also go and workout and avoid the conversation. Stood in the middle of her bedroom she thought over both options and soon was picking out some gym clothes from her drawers.

When she pulled up outside of the gym she was hit by a wave of guilt and as much as she tried to ignore it she just couldn't:

_I'll not be over today, I've gone to the gym for a workout._

He had waited all afternoon for Stephanie to reply to his text but when he didn't receive anything by the time he got home Paul was concerned that he had said the wrong thing. As soon as his phone beeped he lunged for his bag quickly finding it and removing it to read the text.

When he read that she wasn't coming over and was instead going to the gym it inspired him to go to the gym too, he wasn't stalking her, just using his free time wisely.

She had just finished warming up and was contemplating what machine to begin with when she saw him walk in, she didn't know why he was here right now but she wasn't going to focus on him but on her own workout. Deciding to start her workout off with a short run she jumped on a treadmill and began to get her sweat on.

Paul walked through the front door of the gym and tried so hard not to look around to see if he could see her, he knew that she was here as he had seen her car outside but he wanted it to seem like a coincidence that he saw her. Playfully flashing his membership card and then pretending to put it away he smirked at Zoe as she glared at him before he passed his card to her, "Okay okay. Jeez, no need to send me those death glares woman."

"Well somebody is awfully happy these days. If I didn't know any better I would say that you have a girlfriend."

It was his turn to glare at her, "Why do I get the feeling that you and Kelly have been gossiping about me?"

Quickly scanning the card she passed it back to him, "Because we have? She told me that you came by on Sunday morning and were joking around about me having been kidnapped and she mentioned that you were happy as you have a girlfriend."

"Ugh, women. You can't say one innocent thing without them telling all of their friends. Yes I have a girlfriend, yes I am happy and yes, she is absolutely fucking gorgeous."

She couldn't help but giggle as the phone began to ring, "You are so whipped and I like it. Have a good workout and I'll catch you later."

"Yeah, later." Walking off he needed to dump his bag and then start his workout.

Stephanie was just slowing the treadmill down to a walking speed when he appeared in front of the machine, "Are you stalking me?"

He had tried to resist going over but just being around her and knowing that he could actually approach her without being so afraid gave him confidence. Standing in front of the treadmill he couldn't help but smile, "Do you **want** me to stalk you?"

She stopped the treadmill unsure of how to answer because stalking was always bad but being around him more wouldn't be so bad, even if she was trying to avoid a specific conversation, "Maybe?"

Paul laughed, "I'll remember that. So are you deliberately avoiding me or is it just a coincidence?"

"Coincidence?" Taking her towel from on top of the treadmill she climbed off and made her way to the next machine she was going to use.

Discreetly following behind her he was confused, "Why are you avoiding me? What did I do wrong?"

They were in the middle of the gym with a couple of strangers around them so she had to be careful to keep things quiet. Slowly turning around to face him she sighed heavily as she looked at the concern and sadness on his face, "I'm ashamed. I can't say it here but you can join the dots and figure it out for yourself."

Immediately his brain started whirring and he tried to figure out exactly what she could be ashamed of that she wanted to avoid him over and then it hit him, he wanted to discuss the biting and ever since she had gone to great lengths to keep a distance between them, "The b word?"

With eyes darting around the room so fast that she couldn't focus on a thing she closed her eyes tightly and nodded before she opened her eyes again to look at him, "Not here, not now."

His hands clenched at his side as he resisted his natural urge to pull her into his arms to make everything better, "What if I said that we won't have the conversation until you're ready to hear what I have to say on the matter? Would that make you want to stay over on Friday still?"

"Do you want me to stay over still?"

There was no hesitation before he nodded his head, "Yes, absolutely yes."

The way that he was so quick to do whatever she needed to be happy made her want to hug him so much, "Would it be too awkward to hug you?"

What he did in his own time was his own business so if someone was to see then he could get out of it, "Not at all, we just can't kiss."

A smile graced her lips as she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him hugging him tightly. With her face almost buried in his chest she could say this freely as it would be hard for anybody but him to hear, "Thank you for being the best boyfriend. When I am ready I will bring it up, until then thank you."

Returning the hug he rubbed her back gently, "It's my pleasure. I look forward to the conversation but until then we're cool."

She pulled back from the hug and smiled, "Sorry for being kind of sweaty."

Paul couldn't help but laugh, "Yeah because I'm not going to get sweaty now am I? Enjoy the rest of your workout and if you need any help I'm around."

"Thanks."

Stephanie twisted the towel in her hands as she went off in search of her next method of torturing her body today. With the air having been cleared with her boyfriend she was happier knowing that she could be with him and he wouldn't push her to talk about it. She knew that they needed to have the discussion but it didn't need to be today, she had a date night to think about and she would rather look forward to that than worry about saying the wrong thing and him thinking badly of her.

Sat at the reception desk during a lull between clients she turned to look to make sure that everything was going okay when she spotted Paul and the new girl, she had teased him about that girl when she had first joined saying they made a cute couple and she stood by that. She sat watching them obviously deep in conversation which concerned her slightly as it was unusual for the gym but as they soon hugged and parted she thought nothing more of it, beyond thinking that they still made a cute couple anyway. There may be an age gap between them but she knew a couple that were made for each other when she saw them and that was definitely them, "Shame he has a girlfriend or I'd be matchmaking." Her attention was drawn away from them and back to her job when the phone rang again.


	38. Chapter 38

After their conversation at the gym Paul kept true to his word and when they were together and when they spoke on the phone he didn't attempt to talk to her about the biting, she knew she couldn't avoid it forever but for now she had more important things to worry about.

It was Friday after school and in a couple of hours she had to be at the basketball game but currently she had a bag on her bed and she was trying to pack for spending the night with Paul. The bag was currently sat empty on her bed so she did the only thing she could thing of doing and picked up her phone and called somebody. After a couple of rings the phone was answered, "Thank God you answered, I am stuck and need your help."

Kayleigh laughed at her best friend's panicking, "Stuck where exactly? Stuck down the toilet? "

"Stuck on what to pack for tonight. I am staying at Paul's tonight and I don't know what to pack to sleep in."

Immediately she snorted at how naive she was, "You actually think you'll be sleeping in clothes? Girl please, that man will have you naked and you know you will love it."

She couldn't deny that she **wanted** to be naked with him but she wasn't going to expect it, "And if we don't get naked? I need to pack something to sleep in."

"What about some skimpy underwear and then ask for one of his shirts? I'm sure it would be long on you so that would be something to sleep in. So what are you wearing tonight for the game?"

Stephanie moved across the room to get underwear for tonight and tomorrow to throw in the bag as she contemplated what to take to wear tomorrow, "I was just thinking that maybe I'd wear some jeans and a crop top beneath a sweater so if it is warm I can take it off and look sexy."

She tried to picture what her friend had said and she was not impressed by it, "I don't think that's the best outfit. You don't want to rely on it being warm there to look sexy, you want to look sexy from the beginning. I think a pair of low rise jeans, a vest top and a shirt buttoned up to just below your breasts would be perfect."

"Really?!"

Kayleigh wanted to smack her best friend for questioning her, "Yes. Trust me, you'll look gorgeous but it won't look like you're trying but I am sure some of the other girls will. I bet some of them will turn up in mini skirts with their boobs hanging out but if you turn up dressed as I suggested you will look like you're meant to be there."

The explanation from her best friend did make a lot of sense for Stephanie, "You're right. I should have never doubted you as you are Queen of fashion."

"I think you mean I'm Queen of basketball games thanks to my brother being on the school team and being dragged to them."

"There is that too. I should go as I have a list of things I need to do before I have to leave but I'll talk to you later/tomorrow/this weekend."

"Sure. Have fun tonight and enjoy not having to run home before your parents get home."

Just thinking about her parents made her nervous about this as she had to lie to them but it was going to be worth it she hoped, "Thanks girl, I will try to. Enjoy your Friday night and I will talk to you again soon."

Ending the call she tossed her phone on to the bed before she went back to her drawers to pull out a vest top and also a t-shirt and sweater for tomorrow. Neatly folding the clothes for tomorrow she packed them into the bag before she went to retrieve her toiletries from the bathroom.

After packing almost everything in her bag she changed and as she looked at herself in the mirror she realised that Kayleigh was right, she did look good and hopefully she would fit right in among everybody else at the game.

All she had left to do now was to do her hair and put a little make-up on and to have a light snack as the plan was to eat with Paul after the game so she didn't want anything heavy.

Sat at the kitchen table eating a sandwich she scribbled out a note to her parents incase they forgot what she had told them about her plans:

_Gone to a women's basketball game with school and then staying at a friend's house for the night._

_I'll be back about 10ish in the morning so that we can hang out Mom._

_Stephanie_

She contemplated where best to leave the note but decided to leave it in the middle of the kitchen table as they shouldn't be able to miss it. Once she had finished her sandwich she went upstairs to do her make-up and to kill some time before she had to leave.

Paul had so much to do that he barely managed to find the time to get home but he did and quickly changed into a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. Tossing his dirty clothes into the hamper he did a quick sweep of his room making sure that it was clean and tidy before his attention turned to the tickets and getting ready to leave as he had to be certain to be there first.

With an hour to go before the game began he was stood outside of the arena, so far he was alone but he knew that it wouldn't last for long.

His gut was right, no more than ten minutes later and a couple of girls had arrived, "I will wait until everybody is here and then I will pass out the tickets so they don't get lost so just stand to the side or something whilst we wait please."

As more of the girls arrived he was beginning to wonder where they thought they were going because short skirts weren't what he expected to be seen worn.

Stephanie arrived at the arena and was surprised by how right Kayleigh was, there were a number of them wearing short skirts and skimpy tops so she was glad she went with her jeans. Her attention was brought back to the present when Belle called her over, "Do you want to come to mine after? We're going to order take out and watch movies."

"I'd love to but I can't, I have other plans but maybe another time?"

"You know it girl."

He saw her arrive and he couldn't take his eyes off her, she looked incredible and so different to all of the other girls but so perfect for the basketball game that he had to try so hard not to smile.

She felt eyes on her as she spoke with the girls, looking up she saw that Paul was staring at her and when they locked eyes there was a subtle tilt of the head and she was sure that he wanted to talk to her, "I'll be back now."

There was only one person that he wanted to sit next to and in order for that to happen he needed to talk to her so when she looked directly at him he subtly motioned her over with his head and hoped that she noticed.

Stood in front of him she didn't know where to look as she was sure her feelings would be written all over her face today, "Everything okay?"

Carefully looking around to make sure that they were relatively alone before he replied he played with the tickets in his hands, "They're better now. Two things, are we still on for later? Make sure that you are the last person to get your ticket please, all will be explained after but please just do it for me."

"We are and okay, whatever you want."

"Thanks. You'd better go back to the girls but thank you."

Politely smiling she nodded her head, "Not a problem." Turning around she made her way back to the girls and hoped that they hadn't seen where she went.

"So what did Mr Levesque want?"

Stephanie was beginning to think that Belle was stalking her as everywhere she went she knew about it, "He didn't want anything, I was just asking him what time it would finish."

Luckily for Stephanie he instructed people to come and get their ticket, "I'll just be a second, I forgot that my brother texted me whilst I was driving and if I don't reply to him he will start calling me." She took her phone out of her pocket and moved to the side and opened her messages but instead of sending one to Shane she sent it to Kayleigh:

_You were so right about the outfits. Thanks for having my back girl xx_

Quickly sending the text she put her phone back into her pocket and got into line behind everybody else eventually reaching Paul, taking her ticket from him her fingers brushed his and she felt an electric charge between them but ignoring it she headed inside.

As soon as she was through the door she got yanked to the side by Belle, "Jeez, leave my arm attached will you?"

"Where are you sitting?"

Considering she hadn't even looked at her ticket yet she didn't know, "In a seat somewhere in the arena?"

Belle crossed her arms and rolled her eyes, "No shit. We want to know if you're sitting near us?"

For the first time since he had handed it to her Stephanie looked at her ticket, "I'm Row 6 and seat B which will probably be near the end of the row."

"You're nowhere near us. Maybe try swapping your ticket with somebody?"

She could but for some reason Paul had wanted her to be last so she would keep her current ticket, "It's okay, I got what I deserved for sending the text and being last to collect my ticket. What is the worst that can happen?"

"You could be sat next to Mr Levesque."

Saraya looked at Cheyenne and shook her head, "Girl that's not a bad thing, I'd kill to be sat next to him."

That idea hadn't even crossed her mind but surely to be safe he would want them to be sat far away from each other, "Sure, like that will actually happen. We should go in before we end up getting told off."

They all followed the crowd and headed inside the arena before they found their seats and just as Stephanie thought she was almost right on the end of the row but she didn't mind. She took her seat and waited to see who was next to her, she just hoped that it wasn't some creepy old man.

Paul stood by the entrance making sure all of the girls knew where they were going and as soon as they had all entered and took his own seat, "I hope you don't mind."

The second he sat down she stiffened, this could not be happening right now, "Of course not." How could she possibly concentrate on the game with him sat right there beside her? Stephanie attempted to block all thoughts of Paul from her brain as the teams came out to begin their warm up and from then on her focus was entirely on the court.

As the game progressed she found herself getting into the game and slid forward on the seat so she was perched on the edge. To make sure that she didn't fall off she gripped the sides of the chair as the game was nail bitingly close but she had a favourite for who she wanted to win.

He knew that he shouldn't but having her hand there so close to his was a temptation too far and he carefully slid his hand along the side of the chair until his hand covered hers and squeezed it gently. He left his hand there for a minute before he removed it so that there wasn't more of a chance that they would get caught.

Although she felt his hand on hers she didn't dare move her head to look at him or their hands as she was afraid that they would get caught. It made her wish that they could go out in public and be a couple, she wanted to hold his hand whenever she wanted or to go out somewhere together and not have to strategically plan it so that they weren't seen together by anybody that would know them from school. When his hand moved she felt cold, she missed his touch now and she couldn't wait to go back to his for the night.

Once the game ended and they all headed back outside Stephanie was desperate to leave but the girls had other ideas, "So how was it sitting next time him for the entire game?"

"The same as if I were sitting next to you? It isn't like he tried anything with me. I've got to get going though as I have somewhere to be so I should tell Mr Levesque that I am leaving. I will see you all on Monday." She didn't hesitate from walking away from them and made her way over to Paul as he spoke with one of the other students and waited her turn.

He couldn't wait to be done with the current student so that he could see what Stephanie wanted, he hoped that it wasn't bad and she was pulling out. When the student walked away he tried not to smile at Stephanie, "What can I do for you?"

Anxiously putting her hands in her pockets she was trying to be cool and not show him how nervous she was, "So umm . . . I was going to head out, if you know what I mean."

"I know exactly what you mean and that's fine. Drive safely, it won't be too long before I'm out of here and heading home myself."

A shy smile came to her face when she realised that he was subtly telling her that it was still on, "I'll see you later then, goodbye Mr Levesque."

He returned her smile, "Goodbye, drive safely."

"I will, thank you." She removed her car keys from her pocket as she turned around and walked off, all she had to do now was get to his house and then wait for him to arrive.

As she unlocked her car and climbed in she felt the butterflies in her stomach begin to flutter, she had never spend the night with her boyfriend before and she was both nervous and excited about this. She knew that he would treat her well so she had nothing to worry about, apart from disappointing him with her inexperience that was. Turning the key she started the engine on the car, she had to try and ignore her fears and have a good time and that meant taking it one step at a time and the first step was getting home in one piece.


	39. Chapter 39

This is for **kelly **but I hope you all enjoy it :)

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When she arrived at Paul's house Stephanie made sure that her car was all locked up safely before she went inside and dropped her bag beside the door. She wasn't sure exactly how long Paul would be but she went to sit on the couch for a while and wait.

She hadn't been sat on the couch for more than ten minutes and she was getting restless so she took her phone from her pocket and called her best friend. When Kayleigh eventually picked up the phone she couldn't help her first words sounding whiny, "I don't know what to do with myself Leigh. I've barely been here long and I don't know how long he will be but I'm so bored and restless."

"Is boredom the real reason for your restlessness?"

It wasn't like there could be any other reason for it so she was beginning to think her friend was crazy, "Well there is boredom or boredom so yes, I would say it is boredom."

Kayleigh was beginning to wonder if she was deliberately being obtuse about things, "Or there could be a fear over spending the night with Paul."

Pushing herself up from the couch she sighed heavily and made her way towards the kitchen, "I have no reason to be afraid though, he is sweet and kind and seems to always want the best for me. He never pushes me for something that he really wants but I'm not ready for, he allows me to do it when I'm ready."

The conversation had suddenly taken a really strange turn, one that both concerned her and brought her some comfort. Her curiosity was piqued by what had been said though and she just had to know, "Exactly what has he been pushing you for?"

"To talk about something. I'm not even comfortable talking about it with you let alone him but I am terrified that I am going to lose him if I keep pushing him away because of it." She switched her phone to speaker phone and placed it on the counter beside the fridge as she opened the appliance looking through it to see what they could do for dinner.

It took her a moment to process what had been said. The two of them had always been able to talk to each other about everything so it was concerning for her not to be comfortable talking to her about it, "It's nothing bad right? I mean you know that you can talk to me about anything and I won't judge you don't you?"

Silently moving a couple of things on the shelves she felt guilty having put it out there to begin with, "I know and I would but I am struggling to understand and process it myself so how can I talk about it with somebody else if even I can't understand it?"

Paul had left soon after Stephanie as the only students left hanging around were in a couple of groups talking amongst themselves. He had planned to cook for Stephanie but he decided that he would rather spend the time with her in his arms so he took a detour to pick up some take-out before he headed home.

When he stepped through the front door he heard voices coming from the kitchen so didn't call out to say that he was home incase it was her parents on the phone or something. Quietly making his way towards the kitchen he listened as the other voice became clearer as he got closer.

"Maybe he will be able to help you understand it. Clearly you aren't coming to a decision on whatever it is by bottling it up inside so he is your boyfriend and it is his duty to help you when you are struggling so let him help you."

Silently putting the bag on the table he walked up behind Stephanie admiring the view of her bent over in front of him before he put his hands on her hips to let her know that he was home.

She was so absorbed in her conversation with Kayleigh that she failed to hear Paul return so when he put his hands on her hips she jumped, screamed and tried to pull away.

Guilt immediately washed over him at her reaction but he didn't want to say anything because he didn't really know who she was talking to so was afraid of making things awkward for her and for them.

The sound of her best friend's screams sent her into panic, "Steph, Steph. Are you there? Are you okay? Do I need to call 911?"

Turning around after screaming she was relieved to see that the person pressing themself against her ass was her boyfriend, "It's okay Kayleigh, it's just Paul."

His eyes widened at the mention of his name and leant closer to her to whisper in her ear, "Paul?"

Distracted by her boyfriend being in front of her she focussed on him and what he had said, "Kayleigh, my best friend in Florida and the only person who knows the truth about us."

One large sigh left his lips and his shoulders sagged with relief, "Oh thank God. She's okay Kayleigh, it was only me."

Quick to jump in before she could ask anything she picked her phone up to hold it closer to her, "I was so caught up in you that I didn't hear him come home."

It was Kayleigh's turn to be relieved now, "Jeez, I was thinking that I was going to have to call the cops or something. I'm so glad that you're okay Steph but I should leave you two love birds to it. It was nice hearing your voice Paul but have fun tonight and think about what I said Steph."

"I will, love you Leigh."

"Love you too. Night."

Paul smiled softly as he pulled his girlfriend closer, "Night Kayleigh."

When she ended the call with her best friend she placed her phone on the top before she shut the fridge door and turned to properly wrap her arms around his waist sliding her hands into the back pockets of his jeans, "I'm so glad that you're home. What would you like for dinner?"

He loved that he could hold her close, "I brought home take-out I decided not to sacrifice the time I could spend with you in my arms to cook. I've cooked for you before so it's not like you don't know that I can."

A soft giggle passed her lips as she listened to him talk, "I like the sound of that. Let's see what you have got." She removed her hands from his pockets and released him from her grip to go and see what he had brought home.

An hour later and dinner was finished, the leftovers were ready to be put in the fridge once they were cold and the dirty dishes were in the dishwasher.

"So what shall we do now?"

Secret glances had been thrown her way for the past hour. He was trying not to be weird and creepy but there was something about her outfit that made him want her out of it, especially the top, but he didn't want her to think that he had only asked her here for one reason, "We could watch a movie?"

A movie was good, it would prevent him asking about the biting, "Sounds good, I will even let you pick it out tonight as long as it isn't a super scary movie, I'm not in the mood for one of those."

It was so weird to have a girlfriend who didn't demand she picked the movie so he was going to make the most of it, "Thank you, I will definitely not pick a scary movie. How about Mad Max? I have wanted to watch it for ages but just haven't had time to sit down to watch the DVD I bought."

"Oh my God, I want to see that movie so much . . ."

Unable to stop himself he pressed a kiss to her lips effectively silencing her mid-sentence, he definitely had the best girlfriend. Once he had finished kissing her he pulled away and took hold of her hand and led her through to the lounge.

They were halfway through the movie and Stephanie had drifted off from the movie long ago, she had no idea what had happened or what was happening and it had nothing to do with the fact that she was cuddled right up to Paul's side.

He was enjoying the movie but he was enjoying having his girlfriend in his arms even more. This was the first time that they had really done anything like this together and it felt so perfect that it actually scared him a little bit. He wouldn't say that she was the one but despite his initial attraction to her when he found out her real age he wasn't sure that it would really go anywhere beyond a pretty sexual relationship but tonight he was learning that for him it definitely went a lot further.

With her best friend's words about talking to Paul and how he could maybe help her understand it all she suddenly blurted out, "How can we talk about the biting if I don't understand it myself?"

Immediately pausing the movie he turned to face her effectively pushing her off his side, "What don't you understand about it?"

Shifting on the couch she moved to cross her legs having kicked off her shoes a long time ago, "I don't understand why I like it so much when you bite me and why my pussy literally gushes when you do it and why I am beginning to crave it."

Crave it? Well that was definitely something he wasn't expecting to hear during the conversation but he liked that she was being open and honest, especially about how much she liked it. Delicacy was how he needed to approach the subject with her, "How many sexual partners have you had? I'm just trying to help here so please don't get mad."

They had briefly spoken about it before but she was still embarrassed to admit it out loud to him again, "One."

His hand slid across the couch to rest on her thigh squeezing it gently, "And how much sex did you explore with them?"

She was bright red, probably redder than a tomato but she still wanted to talk it out with him, "We didn't. It was literally missionary position and that's it, we didn't do anything more than that. I never told you this before but I literally had sex two times before you."

Part of him immediately regretted ever approaching her in that club because he felt like he had taken advantage of her but as he looked at her face and the way she was looking at him he was glad that he had. Now to try to help her understand the biting, "Okay so you haven't explored your sexual side really and your kinks right?"

"My kinks?"

Her naivety was such a turn on but he tried to rein himself in, "The sexual things that you like, that turn you on. For example for some guys being called 'Master' or 'Daddy' is their kink and turns them on. For me it's not something I have ever explored but that's not important, it is just something to explain what a kink is. Your kink is clearly pain, it is why your pussy gushes when I bite you."

His explanation made sense but it didn't make her feel much better, "So I'm weird and you hate me?"

He was confused and didn't understand where she got that from at all as he kind of found it sexy that she was comfortable enough to share it with him. His hand found its way to her cheek gently turning her head so that she would look at him, "You are not weird and I do not hate you, I actually think it is sexy that you are comfortable enough to share this with me."

"So if you think it's sexy that I am comfortable to share my kink with you then tell me what your kink is, it's only fair."

This entire conversation was new to him as he had never discussed the things that turned him on before, "Promise that you won't judge me?"

She didn't mean for it to happen but Stephanie rolled her eyes, "Of course."

Placing his hands in his lap he looked down briefly before he looked up when she took his one hand in hers not feeling so worried any more, "So it's two things really. The first thing might seem kind of weird given the circumstances but when a woman just walks in and takes what she wants sexually, fucking hot, it's why that time you turned up on your birthday I couldn't say no to you because you came here with the intention of having sex and I was putty in your hands."

"Really?! Paul that is like the sexiest thing ever. Does it still work? I mean if I walked in here one day and wanted to fuck you do you think it would happen?"

The way her eyes had lit up and her posture changed to be more confident made him smile, "I'm pretty sure you could walk into any room and I will still be putty in your hands if you are confident and know what you want. That isn't my only kink though but I don't have to share that." He didn't want to share it really, not when they were in a relationship that they had to hide it.

Why was he being cagey about his second kink? He made her want to know simply by his behaviour, "Or you could share it and make me feel even better about myself."

Paul knew deep down that she would want to know it all but he had just prolonged the inevitable, "The adrenalin rush of potentially getting caught is such a turn on for me. I don't mean doing something illegal and getting away with it, I mean fucking in an alley behind a restaurant where anybody could catch us kind of potentially getting caught."

Things were beginning to add up for her now, "Is that why you were happy to have sex in the club bathroom and why you had your hands all over me in the gym when the girls could walk out at any moment?"

Well she certainly figured him out quickly, "Yes. I'm really sorry about that Steph, I just can't help myself sometimes."

Just the memories of it all and the conversation was making her panties soaking wet and they still had half the movie to go and she didn't know if he wanted to do that tonight. She shifted on the couch to try to soothe the ache that was beginning in her pussy, "I feel like I know so much more about you and as stupid as it sounds I've learned more about myself."

"It doesn't sound stupid at all Steph." As he looked at her face and the light blush that was staining her skin he wasn't really feeling the movie any more, "Umm, so this might be jumping the gun but I wondered if you wanted to learn more about yourself sexually tonight?"

"Yes!" The eagerness that she had just admitted that made her embarrassed and she collapsed back on the couch and hid into his side, "Ignore me."

He definitely wasn't going to ignore her, "Not happening gorgeous. Let the education begin."


	40. Chapter 40

As you requested **Cassandra** here it is. Enjoy everybody :)

* * *

All interest in the movie had disappeared after having such an intense personal discussion so Paul stopped the movie and turned it all off before tossing the remotes down beside him, "Care to join me over here?"

Stephanie didn't look up from her comfortable position hiding in his side, "I'm right over here with you."

If she wanted to be pedantic she could be, he would just be more direct with her. Reaching across he tapped her hip with his fingers, "Swing this leg over my lap or I will make you."

Her head snapped up when he said that, "You'll make me?"

"Yes I will make you so why don't you just do it without me having to make you."

As fun as it would be for him to make her she decided to just do it willingly so she pushed herself away from him and swung her leg over his and sat herself on his thighs, "Like this?"

His hands started at her hips before they slid up her sides and moved to the buttons on her shirt, "Exactly like this." Nimbly working on the buttons on her shirt until it was completely undone he pushed it off her shoulders smiling when she pulled it off her wrists, "I like the way you think."

Unsure of what to do with her shirt now she tossed it onto the floor to pick up after, "I like the way you undress me."

Unintentionally squeezing her sides a little at her comment, he hadn't undressed her nearly as much as he would like to as she wasn't naked yet. There was something about the way that she was dressed that was making him focus on her breasts so instead of keeping things relaxed for the minute he jumped right in, "Do you want to start learning about yourself sexually right now? We could find out exactly how much pain turns you on and how much is too much."

The fact that Paul had offered to do that made her smile and run her hands up and down his chest, "And then you'll get me off after turning me on?"

Sliding his hands up her sides he smiled at her, "Mmhmm, I'll even give you a kiss before we begin."

A soft giggle passed her lips, "Kisses first then." She leant forward and captured his lips with hers melting completely into the kiss moaning lowly when he deepened it.

Once she was distracted by the kiss he pulled her top and bra down exposing her breasts before he pushed her back a little breaking the kiss and trailing kisses down her neck to the top of her breasts, "You sure about this?"

"Yes, absolutely." Stephanie inhaled deeply before she slowly exhaled, "I knew that tonight was going to be about sex, well hoped, so you know if we had sex all night long I wouldn't complain."

He wouldn't complain about having sex all night long either but first things first was helping her to learn about herself.

The first bite to her nipple was gentle and did nothing for her but as the bites got harder and he switched breasts she found herself arching and squirming with each bite, "Oh fuck, so good." The pleasure was becoming too much so she undid the button on her jeans and pulled down the zipper sliding her hand inside her panties immediately seeking out her clit moaning at the pleasure.

There was something about the way that she wasn't shy to touch herself in front of him tonight that was a turn on, "Yeah baby, touch yourself for me as I try to bite your nipple off."

Another flick of her clit as he spoke dirty and her orgasm was on top of her, "One more bite Paul, make it hard, mark me so I'm seeing it for days."

"Steph, I can't do that incase anybody sees it."

He couldn't back out on her tonight, "Please Paul, you said you wanted to see how much pain is too much."

The thought of arguing with her crossed his mind but it was clear that he wouldn't win tonight so he gave in, "Anything you want Princess."

"Mmm Princess, that's hot when you say it."

Apparently he had just found himself a nickname for her, "Well how about you cum for me and then I take you to bed, Princess." He bathed her nipple with his tongue before he bit down on it hard releasing it as her body arched and a scream left her lips.

She wasn't sure how she was still on his lap as she was practically laying horizontal but as her body came back to life the feeling of his thumbs rubbing her sides gave her her explanation, "Help me sit up please?"

Paul knew that he needed to hold her as she almost lay back so he did and he waited for her to come to again, when she asked for help to sit up he happily obliged only releasing his grip on her sides when she seemed steady sat up again, "How are you feeling?"

"Good, amazing, actually I don't think any word can describe how on top of the world I feel. Do you think I'm weird?"

Stroking her cheek with his thumb he shook his head, "Absolutely not, I kind of find it really hot doing that so if you're weird I am too. Was that last bite too hard? It's the hardest that I am willing to bite you so it'll let me know if need to tone it down."

Nervously glancing over his shoulder she shook her head, "It was perfect, you are perfect."

Perfect? He was far from perfect, "I'm definitely not perfect but I'm glad you enjoyed it. So what do you want to do now Princess? We can go to bed to sleep, go to bed to do other stuff or stay here."

The memory of him saying that he found it a turn on when a woman took charge sexually turned him on immediately came to mind, she didn't know that she wanted to take charge tonight but she did want him. Part of her thought this would backfire spectacularly but she wasn't going to know if she didn't try so looking at his face she felt her heart beat faster as she looked at him, "Close your eyes and open your mouth please."

He was just about to comply when he had second thoughts but as he looked at the fear on her face it may not be the best time to do it so decided to trust her and closed his eyes he opened his mouth.

Now that he couldn't see she slowly removed her hand from her panties and raised it placing two fingers carefully just inside his mouth, "Slowly close your mouth."

The thought that his girlfriend was crazy did cross his mind as he closed his mouth as he hadn't felt anything be placed in his mouth but as his tongue hit her fingers and the taste that he would recognise anywhere as being hers. Immediately closing his mouth around her fingers he sucked, licked and swallowed until her fingers were clean before he opened his eyes and stared into hers, now he had a taste for it he wanted more.

The look in his eyes was pure predatory and it sent a shiver down her spine, "What did I do?"

Paul opened his mouth for her to remove her fingers and when she did that he pulled her closer, "Bed?"

Her face flushed red and she nodded her head ducking to hide in his shoulder, she would get up in a second once her embarrassment cooled off. Before she had a chance to move she felt him move on the couch and she screamed and clung to him tightly, "Paul! What are you doing?"

There was something about having her in his arms that felt so right to him and when the idea of carrying her upstairs came to mind he went with it. Carefully moving to the edge of the seat he kept a tight hold of her but couldn't stop himself from laughing as she screamed in fright, "Trust me."

Lowly grumbling she wrapped her arms around his shoulders holding on tightly as he slowly stood up at which point she locked her ankles behind his back and pressed a kiss to the juncture between his neck and shoulder. As he began to ascend the stairs she quickly looked back at her bag, "Wait, my bag is by the door."

Pausing briefly he felt his heart drop, "Do you want your bag? I thought we were on the same page and what is about to happen will not involve clothes at all."

She couldn't help but chew on her lip, "I don't need it tonight then."

"Okay good." He was relieved to know that she hadn't suddenly changed his mind so he quickly continued making his way up the stairs before he climbed onto his bed and lay her down in the middle of it, "You're so beautiful."

"What? Laying oddly dressed in the middle of your bed whilst clinging on to you like my life depends on it?"

Beautiful and just adorable, it was no wonder he has fallen so hard for her, "You aren't dressed oddly, you're just not naked yet which is my preferred outfit for you right now."

Releasing her grips on him she let her legs fall open as he remained between them, "You want me naked do you? And what do you plan to do to me once I am naked?"

"It depends what you will let me do."

Curious she pushed herself up onto her elbows, "What would you like to do?"

He didn't even know why he was nervous about telling her as they had a pretty open relationship, "Umm, you know how you said that you had never gone down on a guy and one had never gone down on you? I kind of want to go down on you, if you'll let me. I'm not saying you need to return the favour, I just want to show you how good it can feel."

If she thought about it she would say no but then she didn't want to say yes either, "Can we just kiss and touch a bit and if you happen to do that without any warning to me then I have no problems with it?"

Did he have her permission to do it? He was so confused now, "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that if I think about it to answer you then I will freak out but I have no problem if it just happens."

That sounded about as close to her saying that she wanted it as he was going to get so he quickly undid the buttons on his shirt and pulled it off tossing it to the side, "If that's what you want."

Moving to sit up she pulled off her tank top and undid her bra dropping both items of clothes on to the bed before Paul picked them up and threw them behind him as he moved to kiss her again gently falling on top of her as she fell back and pulled him down with her.

As their mouths moved together her hands began to run up and down his chest and over his shoulders and down his back feeling every part of him before she wanted more and she pushed him to roll them over until she was on top of him and began to undo his pants. She felt his body tense beneath her as she undid his pants and then allowed her hand to seek out his cock moaning into his mouth when she felt how hard he was. Ripping her mouth free from the kiss as she stroked him gently she was mesmerised by the sight of his eyes closed and him panting, "Fucking hell you're hot."

His eyes shot open to look at her as he tried to keep his body under control at her touches, "You can talk. Enough about me though, you have too many clothes on."

Her hand was quickly pushed away from his cock as he shimmied out of his pants and underwear dropping them to the floor before she ended up on her back again with his face hovering over hers, "I wouldn't be without you."

The soft and tender kiss that followed his declaration made her toes curl and when his kisses began to trail down the side of her neck and over her chest she could only lay there whimpering lowly as her body broke out in goosebumps. As his kisses reached the top of her pants she lifted herself up to watch as he kissed from hip to hip before he gripped both her jeans and panties and pulled them down her legs dumping them on the floor before he pulled her legs apart by her ankles and climbed between them. Her body tensed and her breathing picked up as she felt the odd kiss pressed up her legs until he was right by her pussy. As much as she wanted to look anywhere but what he was doing she found herself mesmerised by the sight of his tongue as it licked clean her thighs from where her juices had dripped down.

It was an unmistakeable feeling when somebody was staring at you and he could feel that as he made his way up her legs, before he began to eat her out he looked up to make sure that she was okay and the fire he saw in her eyes was clearly mixed with apprehension, "You okay?"

"Mmhmm, just watching what you're doing."

That wasn't a 'stay away from there' so positioning himself so he was comfortable between her thighs he moved his hands to open her lips and looking back up at her they locked eyes as he poked his tongue out and licked her pussy.

"Holy shit!" Her whole body tensed and her hands fisted in the sheets at the feeling of his tongue on her most intimate area, it was weird but not unpleasant.

Immediately stopping what he was doing he panicked and pushed himself up a little, "Steph? Are you okay?"

Collapsing back on the bed she nodded her head, "I'm fine, it's weird. You can continue I swear."

Quickly leaning up he pressed a kiss to her lips, "If you don't like it say 'no' at any moment." He moved back between her legs and got comfortable and began to eat her out pulling out every trick he knew and enjoying every moan, arch of her back and scream she gave until she was screaming out as her orgasm hit her giving him more to drink down.

He licked every drop of cum from her pussy before he crawled back up the bed and lay beside her, "You taste so fucking delicious, I'm pretty sure that is my new favourite thing."

Her eyes opened slowly to see him looking down at her, "What is your new favourite thing?"

"Tasting you. How was it for you? Is it something that you would do again."

As his hand came to lie on her stomach she linked their hands together, "I was nervous about it to begin with as I wasn't sure about it but I enjoyed it and I felt soooo good so I'd definitely do it again. Is it my turn now?"

Paul wanted to feel her lips on his dick but he found himself hesitating as he didn't want her to feel obligated, "It's never your turn unless you want it to be, I won't force anything on you ever." Despite how hard he was he wasn't about to force anything on his girlfriend, "What do you want to do now?"

He said she didn't have to do anything she didn't want to do and she was nervous about going down on him so if she could put it off she could try something else with him. Her eyes glanced down at their joined hands and she played with his fingers, "I have an idea but I'm not sure."

If she had an idea and she wasn't sure about it then he would have to give her confidence, "Whatever it is you don't need to be afraid, it's just the two of us here so I don't know why you're worried as you were so confident before."

He was right, she had been confident before so now she just had to get that confidence back, or just pretend to have confidence. Before she could talk herself out of it she lifted his hand from her stomach and pushed him over on to his back and quickly straddled his stomach before he had a chance to react, leaning down she captured his lips gasping and moaning when she tasted herself on his lips and then tongue, she had momentarily forgotten about him going down on her so tasting herself came as a surprise.

Despite his one hand being trapped to the bed he still had one hand to use and fisted it in her hair holding her there as he practically devoured her mouth whilst trying not to think about how her naked body felt on top of his but his hand soon began to wander.

Suddenly she felt a hand on her ass and her eyes flew open and she pulled away from the kiss, "Hands on the bed above your head."

What had he done wrong exactly? Unsure of himself he moved his free hand from her ass to the bed, "I'm sorry."

She didn't respond to his comment, she just released the hand that she had been holding and shuffled down his body until she could see his hard cock in front of her, "You look like you need relief."

He didn't dare move his hands as he stared at her, "I'll live."

"Are you sure?"

He opened his mouth to reply but the only sound that came out was a moan as she gripped his cock in her hand, he was caught under her spell and could only watch her.

Tonight was special and to top off a special evening she decided to do something special. Raising up a little she shuffled forward and placed his cock at her entrance slowly sinking down groaning as he filled her.

As much as he wanted to follow her instructions his hands flew to her hips, "Steph!"

"Shh, just lay there and let me do the work. Last time you did the work and this time it's my turn."

Suddenly his mouth was incredibly dry as she began to rock her hips, "Fucking hell you are going to kill me."

Stephanie couldn't help but smile knowing that he liked what she was doing, "Don't die on me please, I really don't want to have to explain that I killed you by riding your cock."

The grip he had on her hips tightened to what was potentially a painful level as he tried to keep his body under control, "No talking or you really will kill me."

Leaning closer to him she pressed a kiss to the side of his mouth, "Deal."

Paul lay there with his girlfriend riding him and he felt like he had died and gone to heaven. She looked hot as hell and was gripping him at just the right moment to drive him insane but soon it was getting too much, "Steph I can't last much longer."

"Then don't, cum for me and let me feel how much you like this."

It was like she was an entirely different person but he didn't focus on that, he focussed on how hot she was and how much he wanted her to cum with him so began to play with her clit, "I'll cum when you cum." As he looked in her eyes he knew what she wanted without her saying it, "Do you want a bite?"

She couldn't deny that she was relieved when he asked, "Uh huh, I've not got the hang of making myself feel good riding you so it would help please."

"Come here then Princess and give me a tit to suck on like it is my last meal."

She altered her position leaning forward whilst continuing to rock her hips and the new position was everything she needed and then some, "Fuck yes." Her eyes slid closed and she rocked her hips a little harder, "Cum for me Paul, let me feel it."

Unable to stop himself from rocking his hips upwards as she came down he smirked at the moan that fell out of her mouth, "You're my whore." His lips sealed around her nipple and he timed his bite with the next rock of his hips and judging by the scream that left her lips he had succeeded in getting her off but the tightening of her pussy around him resulted in him releasing her breast and moaning her name as she milked the cum out of him.

After three orgasms she was totally drained so just collapsed on top of him unable to move, "Nice pillow."

His heart did a funny pitter patter as she collapsed on top of him resting her head on his shoulder, "You sure you don't want to move?"

"No, I like it here but I'll move if you want me to."

He slid his arms around her waist and held on tightly, "No you're fine. Sleep well beautiful." Pressing a kiss to the side of her head he found himself unable to sleep as he held her tightly, he was beginning to realise that his feelings for this woman ran a lot deeper than sex and it scared him just a little as he was still her teacher and she was still his student so for that reason he could not allow how deep his feelings ran to get out, even to her.


	41. Chapter 41

When Stephanie woke up on Saturday morning it took her a moment to remember where she was. Her first thought was what had happened to her pillow and her bed because it was a little lumpy and incredibly warm.

Slowly her eyes fluttered open and she lifted her head, immediately a smile came to her face as she looked down at her boyfriend laying beneath her, he was so handsome. Brushing some hair away from his face she pressed a soft kiss to the side of his mouth before she shifted a little to get comfortable but instantly felt his hard cock as she did so. He was hard, she owed him this but she wanted it and in her still slightly sleepy mind she rationalised that him being asleep would make her less self conscious.

She shuffled slowly down his body remaining beneath the covers until she came face to face with his cock. Her hand wrapped around his hard length stroking up and down a couple of times taking a peek up to his face to see if he was still asleep, when she saw that he was she lowered her mouth towards the head slowly taking it into her mouth.

Eyes closed as she got used to the feeling of him in her mouth it was strange but not unpleasant. Stroking him with her hand as she worked her tongue around the head she couldn't help but moan a little as she took more of him into her mouth.

Paul was sound asleep when suddenly he was having the best and most vivid dream. He was dreaming that he was getting a blow job but the hot, wet mouth and hand around his cock along with the hair tickling his thighs was so real it was like it was actually happening. The feeling of his cock hitting the back of the throat had him reaching down to fist his hand in the hair of the person currently making him feel so good, it was only when his hand actually fisted in hair that his eyes shot open and he lifted his head panting heavily and muttering to himself, "Such a weird dream."

It took a second for him to recognise that he actually had hair in his hand and he still felt like there was a mouth around his cock. Slowly lifting the covers he looked down and groaned at the sight before him, his girlfriend had woken him up with a blow job. Freeing her hair from his hand he threw the covers back to fully uncover her body so that he could look at her, "Good morning."

She was stupidly hoping that he wouldn't wake up but she knew that he would eventually. Raising her eyes to look at him the two locked eyes before she quickly averted her eyes slowly removing her mouth from his cock looking sheepish, "Sorry that I'm bad, I just . . ."

The way that she had trailed off and was looking anywhere but at him broke his heart a little. He didn't want to sit up and ruin it all so he just gripped her chin gently and turned her head so that she was looking at him again, "You're not bad, seriously Steph you woke me up because I was feeling so good. If the moment has been lost then okay but if you want to finish I'd like that a lot because it felt good."

Part of her wanted to assume that he was lying to her but she could see the sincerity in his eyes so removing his hand from her chin she didn't say anything and just bent down taking his cock back into her mouth.

Surprised by her actions he fisted his hand tightly in her hair, "Jesus Christ Steph, warn me when you're going to attempt to send me to heaven next time please."

Moaning around him she scratched his thigh as she clutched it, she just wanted to make him as good as she had felt last night and didn't think about it.

After his initial shock Paul was able to relax back on the bed and enjoy the way that her lips were making him feeling until he eventually moved his hand to her neck and began to dictate her pace as he got closer to the edge.

Stephanie felt like she was in a good rhythm with the movements of her hand and mouth now working close to in sync so she didn't mind when he began to force her up and down faster. A moan left her lips when his hand went back to her hair tightly fisting it and pulling on it, "Gonna . . . cum . . soon." She remembered how he had tasted before so didn't move, she just kept sucking until he was filling her mouth with his cum. Swallowing as much as quickly as she could a little did escape down her chin so when he his orgasm had finished she slowly pulled back and wiped her chin clean.

He hadn't taken his eyes off her since he was able to focus so when she released his cock he was quick to yank her up towards him.

He was so rough she fell onto his chest, "Paul! You only had to ask and I would have come back up here."

No words were said, he just wrapped his arms around her holding her tightly as he kissed her with as much passion as he could muster. The kiss was returned with equal passion until they were both out of air and she had to pull back so they could breathe but she just collapsed so that she was lying beside him on the bed and had her head on his chest, "What was that for?"

"How long do you have? It was for last night, it was for waking me up with a blow job, it was for being good at it, it was for being sexy and swallowing it all but most of all it was for just being you."

Hiding her face in his chest she blushed furiously, "Most of that was lies, I was so bad at that."

He rolled them over and hovered over her, "You weren't perfect but for your first time you were amazing and made me feel so good Steph. We all have room to learn and if you enjoyed that I'll teach you and if not I had a fucking amazing experience."

"I enjoyed it." Her eyes darted around not able to look in his eyes, "Even swallowing everything wasn't bad."

It was so hard for him not to tell her how much he cared so he just settled for a peck to her lips, "Until next time maybe."

"Definitely." Stephanie knew that she needed to be home early so she looked around for a clock with her eyes finally settling on it she smiled and turned back to him, "I have enough time for a shower and breakfast before I have to be home if you want me to stay that long?"

His eyes lit up hearing that she wasn't in a desperate rush to get away, "Sounds perfect. Let me get you a towel a minute." Paul climbed over Stephanie to get out of bed, he didn't bother putting any boxers on as he went.

Sitting up Stephanie ran her fingers through her hair she was just going to wait for him but she felt self conscious being naked so she got up and found his shirt from the night before on the floor and pulled it on and then turned to leave the room to get her bag from downstairs almost colliding with Paul as he went to enter.

"Where are you going?"

"Just to grab my bag from downstairs. Who shall shower first?"

If she had to leave early then maybe the better option for him would be to wait to shower until she left. "Why don't you shower and I'll start on breakfast? I can shower when you leave but you definitely need to shower before you go so you don't face awkward questions from the parents."

She closed the distance between them and took the towel from his hands before she kissed him softly, "Please just put some clothes on though, I may be forced to jump you otherwise."

"I wouldn't complain at that." The look he got from her in response quickly had him backtracking, "But I know that you have to leave so I will put some clothes on for you."

Quickly kissing him again she practically bounded past him to jump in the shower.

True to his word Paul put some shorts on before he went downstairs but was soon on his way back up the stairs with her bag. He placed the bag on the bed before he went back downstairs again to start on breakfast.

After her shower she walked into the bedroom and smiled seeing her bag on the bed, it was only after she had climbed in the shower that she realised that she had gotten distracted and left her bag downstairs so she had just used his shampoo and shower gel and hoped that he didn't mind.

Half dressed she didn't know what to put on her top half, her hair was soaking wet and she didn't want to soak her t-shirt but her vest top from the night before was downstairs, groaning in frustration she turned her attention to combing her hair before she decided.

He heard movement on the stairs so Paul moved to the kitchen doorway and whistled at the way she was dressed, "Looking good sexy."

Poking her tongue out at him she shook her head, "I'm just going to grab my vest top from the lounge floor so I will be reasonably dressed then."

"Screw reasonably dressed, let me just enjoy you being sexy . . . please?"

It wouldn't do any harm so she just went straight for the kitchen, "By the way, I used your shampoo and shower gel, I forgot mine."

"Must, not, think, about, it." He needed to not think about how good she was going to smell or he would be trying to convince her to stay to snuggle on the couch together.

Stephanie paid no attention to what he said as she had a deadline to be home by, once she had enjoyed some more time with her boyfriend first though.

She pressed a soft kiss to the side of his mouth as she walked past him only to see pancakes and fruit on the table, "How did you do this? I wasn't that long."

"I had a pancake mix in the cupboard and I work hard when I have a purpose." He walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist pressing a kiss to her shoulder, "I wanted to spend as much time with you as possible."

Relaxing back against him she rested her head back on his shoulder and placed her hands over his on her stomach, "I know what you mean. Last night was perfect, I just wish I could stay here forever and not break the spell that has been cast over us."

"You know whenever you can swing a night away from your parents I am always willing to have you stay here for the night, my house is always open to you." With a final kiss to her cheek he slowly pulled away and led her to the table to take a seat.

After a delicious breakfast together Stephanie collected her clothes from the lounge and packed them in her bag before she got dressed even though her hair was still somewhat wet. As soon as she was dressed she began to make his bed.

"You don't have to make the bed, I'll do it after I've showered."

"I want to, it's the least I can do for you today."

"I think you have done plenty for me today but thank you." He stood in the doorway watching her tidy up his room before she picked up her bag and he knew that it meant she had to leave.

Silently brushing past him with bag in hand she made her way downstairs to put her shoes on, she didn't want to leave yet but this was the only chance she was going to have to spend with her Mom as she was making time for her now.

No words were exchanged as she made her way towards the door with her bag in hand but he did follow her. Dropping her bag by the door she turned to face him, "Thank you for everything. I know those two words don't even begin to cover how much you did for me but they'll have to do. I will never repay you for it all but just know that I appreciate it all."

"I didn't do anything special." He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close again, "Everything that I did was what a boyfriend would do for his girlfriend, you don't need to thank me for it."

She wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her head on his chest, "I'm still grateful that you have been so good to me and haven't laughed at me, made fun of me or told me how crap I was."

"It's a good thing that you weren't crap then and I wasn't lying to you. Call me tonight okay? I'm going to miss having you here after last night."

Her hands moved to frame his face before she kissed him softly, "Always. I'll see you on Monday." She picked up her bag again along with her keys and cell phone and headed out to her car.

Standing at the door he watched her leave before he made his way back to the kitchen to finish tidying up before he headed upstairs to have a long shower.

When she arrived home Stephanie had a bad feeling, as she looked up at the front of the house there was something about the house that told her that she would not like what was about to come. Climbing out of the car she picked up her bag from the back seat and slid her phone into her pocket as she made her way to the front door.

Once the door was unlocked she pushed it open and stepped inside and was instantly struck by how silent the house was, dropping her bag by the stairs she hung her keys from her finger and swung them back and forth as she made her way through to the kitchen. The second she walked through the kitchen door she just knew that her Mom was working but she walked over to the note hanging on the fridge anyway.

As she walked closer to the fridge it felt like the piece of paper was taunting her, ripping the paper from beneath the magnet that was holding it there she began to scan it:

_Dear Stephanie,_

_I'm sorry but something has come up, I'm not going to be able to make our day together today, I'll make it up to you next week._

_Love,_

_Mom_

_P.s. If you want to go shopping the credit card is in the bread bin._

She knew it, she just knew that it was all too good to be true that her parents gave a single fuck about her and actually spending time with her. There was a pen lying on the table obviously from when she had written the note, snatching the pen up she drew a couple of lines through the note her Mom had left her before she wrote a note of her own:

_Fuck you!_

Carelessly tossing the pen back onto the table she turned and walked back out of the kitchen and straight out of the front door, there was no point in being here if her Mom wasn't going to be making time for her and would be there also.


	42. Chapter 42

This is for **Sarah** and **SMHHHHFan**, I hope that you both enjoy it :)

* * *

Once Stephanie left Paul tidied up the kitchen putting the dishes in the dishwasher and the leftover fruit back in the fridge before he went upstairs to shower.

He had just gotten out of the shower and made his way to the bedroom to finish drying off and to get dressed when he heard a car door slam outside and he winced, he would not like to be anywhere near that person. Rifling through his drawers looking for a shirt he jumped when his front door slammed, there was only one person with keys to his house and as far as he knew she had just gone home.

Despite the fact that he was half naked he made his way out of the bedroom to go and investigate what the noise was but as he exited the room he was almost tackled to the ground as somebody threw themselves at him wrapping their arms around his neck.

Stephanie only really knew where two people in Greenwich lived and she only wanted one of them to comfort her right now.

After driving across town she may have unintentionally slammed her car door as she climbed out of it and the fact that the front door slammed as she walked through it was pure coincidence. Her plan had been to slip into his house unnoticed and to bury herself under his covers and then she would talk to him eventually.

The truth was that she knew that he would come looking for her but as she ran up the stairs the only thing she cared about was burying herself underneath his covers but when he appeared in front of her the lack of clothes didn't matter, she just threw herself at him wrapping her arms around his neck and holding on tightly

No burglar would throw themselves at the owner of the house like this so Paul looked down at the top of the head of the person attached to his body and he was confused, what was his girlfriend doing here? He didn't know a delicate way to ask the question so he didn't say anything, he just held her tightly but before long he felt wetness on his chest and he couldn't stay quiet any longer, "What's wrong Steph?"

"Nothing." She didn't want to talk about it yet; she just wanted to be held.

He didn't buy that for a second so after making sure that his towel was secure he hoisted her up in his arms and carried her into his bedroom and carefully laid them both down on the bed. Securing his towel tightly around his waist again he moved until he was comfortably holding her.

She didn't know how long the two of them had been laying together but it was everything that she had needed. Eventually she pulled away to look at him, "So you don't have anything planned that I'm preventing you doing right? If you do I can leave."

Stroking her cheek gently with his thumb he smile softly, "Unless you count laundry as something planned then nope, I have nothing today. I deliberately planned nothing because I thought that I might need a lazy day after last night, if you know what I mean."

Stephanie ducked her head as her cheeks flushed red, she knew exactly what he meant and she was embarrassed, "I'm sorry."

"Sorry? Steph last night was amazing." Silence fell over them as he thought about whether he should say what was on his mind but ultimately he needed to know why she was here, "As much as I like that you are here you weren't meant to be as you said you had plans. Why are you back?"

She knew where she wasn't wanted so she began to get up, "I'm sorry for bothering you."

What had he said? Locking his arms around her waist before she could she could actually leave he held on tightly, "I never said that you were bothering me, I just wondered why you are here when you left all of half an hour ago as you had something to do."

It wasn't the best move taking her bad mood out on the one person who seemed to want her around. Stephanie shifted a little on the bed until she scooted back down and rolled to the side so that she was face to face with him, sliding her hand up and down his chest she kept her eyes down as she didn't want to see him looking like he felt sorry for her, "My Mom cancelled the plans in favour of work so I thought that rather than being home alone I would come here. If I am getting in your way though just say and I will leave."

With one hand he stopped the movements of her hand on his chest because the softness of her touch was torturing him and with his other hand he tilted her head back a little, "My home is always open to you, even if I'm not here. How long do you want to stay and what would you like to do?"

She couldn't help but look at their joined hands as he held them against his chest, "Can I stay all day please? I don't mind what we do, if you have stuff that you need to do I am happy to just stay in bed."

"Sure, you're welcome to stay for the next week if you really want to though. I have no plans for today so it can be a full date day if you want or just a chilled day."

"Chilled day, just you and me." Moving closer she slipped her arms around his waist and closed her eyes, being here with him made her feel so comfortable, it made everything better.

Paul stayed cuddled with Stephanie until he began to get cold and only then did he pull himself out of her arms and got dressed before they headed downstairs to watch the movie that they started but didn't finish the night before.

For a change Stephanie cooked dinner for Paul and he was currently in the process of telling her how much he had enjoyed it as they washed up together, he had said that he would do it alone as she had cooked but she insisted on helping.

"I want to know how you learned to cook that well."

Mock gasping in shock she pretended to be offended, "How very dare you. I can't believe you have the nerve to say that to me."

He opened his mouth to make a joke about her being a spoiled Princess but quickly changed his mind, "Well you do have an older brother, I guessed that when it was just the two of you he would order take out."

"I wish that I had that time with him. He's so much older than me that when he was meant to be babysitting he would go out with his friends and leave me home alone. He'd give me twenty dollars for dinner as a bribe not to tell our parents that he went out but rather than spending it on dinner I would cook for myself and save the money to buy something for myself." Feeling her phone vibrating against her ass she removed it from her pocket, seeing her Mom's name on the screen she didn't hesitate in rejecting the call before she put it back in her pocket.

For the rest of the evening the two of them spent some quality time together talking and relaxing but as it got later and she made no move to leave it left him with a question, "Are you staying over tonight?"

"Do you **want** me to stay tonight?"

That was a trick question because he didn't want her to ever leave but she did live with her parents and she was meant to be home today. After pausing to think over how to respond in the best way he finally had it, "I do. I like having you here and I would really enjoy snuggling up to you in bed tonight, I don't mean sex, I just mean me with my arms wrapped tightly around your waist and you however you are comfortable."

She couldn't help but smile when he said that he wanted her to stay, she wanted to stay so she was going to be staying right here with him. Moving closer she cuddled into him, "Thank you."

Sat on the edge of the bed she would get undressed if she had any clue what to wear. She didn't have any extra clothes with her and the clothes that she was wearing weren't going to be comfortable to sleep in. The vibrations of her phone in her hand brought her attention back from worrying about sleep to that, this was the fourth time that her Mom had called tonight and the fourth time she had chosen not to take her call, she didn't want to hear the excuses.

Paul walked back in to the room to see his girlfriend sat staring at her phone, walking over to the bed he knelt down in front of her and took hold of her hands, "If you want to go home then I won't hold it against you."

Home was the last place on earth that she wanted to be right now, "I don't. I was just thinking that my phone is almost dead and I don't have my charger with me."

"Just use mine; it's on the bedside table." He watched her pull away and move to plug her phone in but he couldn't help the fact that he didn't believe her entirely but it was too late for him to want to ask her about it incase they fought and she left and then he would be worried for her safety.

Her phone really was dying so she hadn't been lying about that however when she turned around she saw him removing his shirt, she had to say something about her lack of clothes soon. "Paul, I don't have anything to wear to bed."

"Do you want one of my shirts to wear? I would offer shorts too but they'll swim on you."

That was easy; she had been panicking over nothing for certain. "A shirt would be great please."

"No problem. You can either have the stinky shirt that I just took off or you can get something out of my drawers, take your pick." He just wanted her to be comfortable so if he let her choose then hopefully she would be as right now she clearly wasn't.

They hadn't done a whole lot so his shirt wouldn't smell too bad but it would smell like him which would be comforting so she crawled across the bed and picked it up from the floor, "This is fine, thanks."

"You're welcome." Undoing his jeans he pushed them down his legs before he kicked them off his feet and then folded them neatly before he turned around to see Stephanie beginning to get undressed, stepping up behind her he helped pulled her sweater off before he pressed a chaste kiss to her almost bare shoulder, "There you go."

"Thank you." She watched as he neatly folded her sweater, "You're so domesticated."

Laughing at the comment he shook his head, "My Mom would be so proud." He made his way over to the bed and climbed in and began to fluff all of the pillows, anything to keep himself occupied so that he didn't sit there and watch her getting undressed.

Once she was undressed Stephanie pulled his shirt on and smiled as she immediately smelt her boyfriend, stealing his shirts was going to become her new favourite hobby when she was at his if she wasn't careful. The shirt came just below her ass so it wasn't overly short but it wouldn't matter as she would soon be in bed.

The pillows had been fluffed to within an inch of their life and there were no others ways left for him to look away from her but luckily as he turned back to face her she was just pulling on his shirt, he had to admit that it looked amazing on her.

When she climbed into bed Stephanie immediately slid down until she was laying flat and staring at the ceiling. A moment of silence passed between them before she spoke up, "Thank you for today, I didn't want to be alone."

It was Paul's turn to slide down in bed this time but instead of laying on his back he lay on his side and rested his head on his one hand and placed his other hand on her stomach, "You act like me spending time with my girlfriend is some sort of inconvenience. I really enjoyed getting to spend the entire day with you, I wish that it was under better circumstances but I'm happy that I could be here for you when you needed me."

She wished that it was under better circumstances too and that she was better company for him. "I feel like you do so much for me and I do nothing for you. How long until you get bored of all of the teenage drama?" She had to roll on her side and face him for his answer so that she could hopefully tell if he was lying.

"Teenage drama? When was that? I have totally missed all of that. You do know that no matter how old you are we all have problems with our parents sometimes right? There has been no teenage drama the entire time that I have been with you, I actually think that you are incredibly mature for your age and trust me, if you weren't I wouldn't be with you."

"Really?! You honestly think that I am mature?" Her hand moved to rest on his hand which was now on her hip and she squeezed it gently.

The pure happiness on her face was an image he wanted to remember forever, "I honestly think that you are mature." He leaned closer and kissed her softly, "I promise."

Paul rolled onto his back and pulled Stephanie with him so she ended up collapsing on top of him with a giggle, "You should have let go of my hand."

"But if I did I wouldn't have gotten you to giggle and that has been the highlight of my evening." Her giggle was the most beautiful sound and it made his heart flutter, this woman was so perfect.

Waving her hand in front of his face he looked like he was on another planet, "Hello?"

"Huh?"

Pouting she was almost offended, "Nice to know my company is that sparkling."

Quickly rolling them over so that he was on top he tickled her sides enjoying seeing her squirm beneath him.

"Stop . . . it." She kept squirming and trying to pull away.

After a minute he stopped tickling her and bent down kissing her softly, "I win."

One kiss was not enough so she arched her back and kissed him before she fell back to the bed, "Nope, I did, I have you as my boyfriend."

"When you say stuff like that you will give me an ego." Collapsing to the side of her he rolled back onto his back and stared up at the ceiling and smiled as she quickly moved to cuddle into his side and lay her head on his chest, "Comfortable?"

To begin with she wasn't sure what position she would find comfortable to sleep in but as she moved to cuddle him before they actually went to sleep she found herself in a position where she didn't want to move. "I'm really comfortable actually. Would you mind if I didn't move from here at all tonight?"

Would he mind going to sleep with his arm around his girlfriend and her head on his chest? If he ever said yes to that he wanted somebody to hit him over the head, "No, I don't mind at all. Goodnight Stephanie."

"Goodnight Paul." Feeling too lazy to lift her head she pressed a kiss to his chest before she snuggled a little bit closer to him and closed her eyes.

The next morning Stephanie woke on her other side with Paul lying behind her with his arm draped over her waist holding her close to him; clearly she had been very restless in the night.

She didn't want to wake him up but she did need to check her phone so with as little movement as possible she reached across to get it from the night stand rolling her eyes as it immediately lit up as her Mom called her, she would talk to her but it wouldn't be now, rejecting the call she couldn't help but shake her head at the missed calls she had from her Dad and her Mom, they just needed to leave her alone. Placing the phone on the bed in front of her she rested her head back on the pillow and closed her eyes.

When he woke up Paul wasn't sure whether his girlfriend was awake or not but he soon had his answer when he moved his hand slightly and she began to play gently with his fingers, "Morning."

"Did I wake you?" Carefully rolling onto her back she twisted to kiss him softly, it was too easy to get used to this.

"No you didn't, why? Did you do something?"

"No, I just checked my phone."

Brushing her hair back he felt like he had missed something, she looked so stressed this morning, "Everything okay?"

How did he do that? How did he know that she had something on her mind? There was no point lying to him though, he may as well know the truth, "My Mom keeps calling me." As she said that her phone lit up beside her and she saw her brother's name, "Oh for fucks sake, now Shane is at it."

"Shane?"

"My brother. She's obviously called him and told him that I'm the devil child that is causing her so much stress."

He could only watch as she rejected his call but within seconds her phone was lighting up again, "Who is it now?"

"Kayleigh. I can't deal with her right now; I'd rather just be alone with you." She rejected that call as well before she threw her phone down on the bed, "I'll be back in a minute, I'm just going to use the bathroom."

He lay there and watched her walk away, she looked so down and he hated to see it, he knew that her Mom was only trying to get hold of her because she was worried but she couldn't see that as she was mad. Moving to sit up against the headboard he saw her phone light up and picked it up curious to see who was calling, when he saw 'Shane' he decided to take his life in his hands and answer the call, "Hello?"

Shane was immediately concerned when a male voice came across the line, "Who are you?"

"Who are you?" He needed to be certain that he was talking to her brother and nobody else if he was going to unveil his identity.

"I'm Shane, you answered my sister's phone so who are you?"

He had nothing to fear, her brother already knew that he existed and that he was older so he wasn't putting their relationship in trouble in that way if he answered. "Paul, I answered my girlfriend's phone."

Letting out the breath that he had been holding he felt a little better now but not completely better, "Where's Steph? I need to talk to her as my parents are worried about her as she hasn't been home in days and won't answer their calls."

Apparently Stephanie wasn't kidding when she said that her parents would paint her as the devil child so before Shane spoke with his sister he made one thing clear, "That isn't even half of the story. Don't believe everything that you were told, hear Stephanie's side first please."

"I would if she would talk to me."

"She's upset . . ."

As she walked out of the bathroom it sounded like there were voices coming from the bedroom, she wondered who he was talking to but she was going to sneak back in quietly and relax whilst he was on the phone. The second she walked through the door and heard 'she's upset' she knew that he had answered her phone, "How could you?" She didn't wait for an answer; she just spun around to walk out of the room again.

"Fuck. Hang on Shane." The last thing that Paul needed was for her to run away from him so he dropped the phone on the bed and scrambled to climb out of bed and reached for her to prevent her leaving. Luckily he caught her before she really left the room grabbing on to her arm, "Steph wait. Please don't be mad at me, I just answered your phone to Shane because he didn't deserve to worry about you."

"Shane? First name terms are we?"

Paul moved his hands to her hips, "He's your brother, I like you so I think isn't it good idea that I should get to know him and first comes his name."

Giggling softly she thought that he was adorable, "Cute. So why should I talk to him?"

"Because he is your brother, he loves you, he is worried about you and he isn't your Mom so he doesn't deserve the silent treatment."

That was an incredibly strong argument, "Okay fine. I'll talk to my brother."

"Thank you." He pressed a kiss to her forehead before he released her allowing her to go back to the bed.

As much as she needed to talk to her brother she was afraid of doing so so she took hold of her boyfriend's hand and pulled him with her.

Sitting down she picked up the phone, "Shane?"

"About time that I got to speak to you, I thought that you were in trouble."

"Only with Mom most likely." When Paul wrapped his arms around her waist she leant back in to him for moral support.

Shane had heard his Mom's side but after what his sister's boyfriend had said he was questioning it, "So what happened between you two?"

She wasn't sure how much to tell him as she didn't want him to think badly of Paul, "Friday night I went to a basketball game with the school and then stayed with a friend but I was going to be home by ten yesterday morning as Mom and I were going to do something together. I arrived home before ten and found a note on the fridge that said that she was working and didn't have time for me so I wrote 'fuck you' on her note and came to Paul's."

"Were you at Paul's Friday night?"

"Maybe? I just didn't want to deal with her yesterday so Paul let me stay over and I'm going to go home after. Are you going to tell her where I am?"

He wasn't sure what to tell his Mom, she needed to know that Stephanie was safe but telling her exactly where she was did seem a little extreme, his mind was made up however when he heard Paul whispering to his sister, "It'll be okay." He seemed like he was a sensible guy, he was clearly taking care of her and he was the one to answer the phone as he didn't want him as her brother to worry. "I'll tell Mom that you're safe, that I spoke to you and that you are just upset over yesterday. This is all on one condition."

He barely finished talking before she answered him, "Name it."

Laughing at his sister's eagerness it was clear that she was trying to protect Paul, "When I am in town next month for Thanksgiving I want the opportunity to meet Paul. If I am going to continue to cover for you even after this incident I need to see for myself that he is a good guy."

"Deal . . . wait, I need to ask him a minute." Nervously turning to look at him she was terrified that he would say no, "Shane wants to meet you when he is here for Thanksgiving. Are you going out of town, have any problems with it or anything?"

Meeting her brother was going to be a huge deal but they couldn't exactly hide away forever because one day he hoped that they would be able to go fully public so this would be a start, "I'm not going anywhere. What about if I cook for us all and that way we can eat in private and they can get to know me?"

"Are you sure you want to put that pressure on yourself?"

"Pr . . . Steph it's no pressure really." He had to bite back using her nickname with her brother on the phone, he was trying to make a good impression and he didn't want to come across badly.

"Thank you." Her thoughts weren't on the phone but on Paul so out of instinct she leant forward and kissed him softly.

As Shane listened to the conversation between his sister and her boyfriend it was hard not to tell how mature he was and although his sister had always been more mature than girls her age he was noticing more and more how mature she really was. "So am I getting poisoned or what?"

Her attention was brought back to the phone when her brother spoke and it almost irritated her, "I will poison you even if he doesn't. For your information though he said yes, he will cook for us all over Thanksgiving. Can I go and get breakfast now please? I haven't long woken up."

"Yes yes. You go and eat and I will tell Mom that you will be home later. Do not make me out to be a liar."

"I won't Shane. Thank you, I love you."

"I love you too and say thank you to Paul for me please, it makes me feel better knowing that he is there for you."

As her brother spoke she looked at her boyfriend and smiled, "I will, bye." Ending the call she threw her phone onto the bed before she almost tackled Paul to the bed kissing him passionately, "Thank you."

Grabbing on to her he groaned in to the kiss before she pulled away, "It's my pleasure; it's what boyfriends are for."

"Maybe so but I have the best one."

He definitely did not want to be having this conversation as he was going to blurt out his feelings so he changed the subjects, "I thought you wanted breakfast."

"Oh yeah, that." She had been so happy that her brother wasn't going to tell their Mom about her boyfriend that she forgot about it but now he mentioned it she remembered as her stomach started to rumble. Carefully climbing off the bed she pulled on Paul's hand, "Let's go."


	43. Chapter 43

This is for **SMHHHHFan**, enjoy :)

* * *

Stephanie and Paul had a lazy breakfast and she had an even lazier shower just so that she could prolong going home but she couldn't prolong it forever, "I should go."

"I should get ready to go to Diana's, I promised that I would spend the day with her and the baby today, I guess the husband will be there too but he isn't important in this."

A soft giggle passed her lips at his comments, "You're so bad Paul, you know you like being around him really."

"I do, I just prefer your company. I'm not trying to guilt trip you in to staying though." He reached across and played with her fingers.

She turned it around and began to play with his fingers, "I know that you're not trying to guilt trip me in to staying but before I do think about just staying then I should leave. I will see you tomorrow in class."

"Call me tonight?" He pulled her closer and pressed a kiss to her forehead, "It won't be the same without you here with me."

"It won't be the same without being here with you. I'm scared about going home, what if my parents get really really mad at me?"

He couldn't help but wrap his arms around her and hold her really close; he wanted to make it all better for her. "If your parents are really mad and you need an escape you can always come here even though I won't be here, just make sure to call your brother so that he knows where you are."

"You really love my brother huh?"

He poked her sides gently as punishment causing her to squirm, "I do not, I just don't want a repeat of today thank you, that and I really want to make a good impression on him please."

"Okay." She wrapped her arms around his neck and smiled up at him, "I think he likes you already because you're good to me and he knows it. I'm leaving though, thank you for everything this weekend." Pulling him down a bit closer to her level she placed a soft lingering kiss to his lips before she released him and headed for the door.

Watching her leave and not saying anything was getting harder and harder, he was convinced that any day now he was just going to blurt out how he felt about her, he needed girl talk so badly today and that thought alone made him question his sanity.

When she pulled in to the drive Stephanie just knew that she was going to regret every second of returning home, she just knew that she was going to get a lecture and she would have to bite her tongue so that she didn't say something that she would regret.

Pulling to a stop outside of the garage she turned the engine off before removing her keys from the ignition and slowly climbing out of the car, if she was really quiet she might be able to sneak back in unnoticed and fake being home for hours.

Unfortunately it didn't quite work out like that as despite how quietly she opened the door the second that she did her Mom appeared in front of her, "Where the hell have you been? I have been worried sick."

"Please, you only knew that I wasn't sat at home waiting for you to decide to show your face again twelve hours ago. You didn't give a second thought to me all day long so I don't know why you're acting like you care about me now."

"How dare you talk to me like that." Linda didn't know what was happening to her daughter but she didn't like the woman that she was becoming, "So where were you?"

"A friend's place. I didn't want to be home alone **again **so I spent time with somebody who did want to be around me. Are we done yet? Shane said that he'd tell you that I was fine." For the first time in her life she actually wanted to do her homework so the sooner that she stopped lecturing her the better.

"I don't care that you were at a friend's place, I care that you didn't tell me where you were and you refused to answer anybody's calls so that we knew that you were okay. As we can't trust you to answer your phone or to tell us where you are then you are going to have to come to our works do on Saturday night."

Was she fucking kidding right now? Did she not understand that she was actually upset that she had cancelled last minute and that she had really been looking forward to spending time with her? "I guess you will be too busy on Saturday to do anything with me then?"

"Of course, these things don't set themselves up. Even though you don't entirely deserve it I understand that you probably won't have anything suitable for the event so I will give you some money later and you can buy yourself a dress one day this week after school and then you will be free to help us set up on Saturday."

"Whatever. I'm going to do my homework." Brushing past her Mom she took the stairs two at a time and went straight to her room shutting the door behind her before she threw herself face first on to her bed.

Eventually she decided to text her brother to let him know that she was home safely, she didn't want him to worry.

_The devil child is home and has been suitably punished for her feelings._

She was about to go and begin her homework at her desk but was feeling down and needed a pick up if possible and there was only one person that would do that for her.

_Well Mom was mad &amp; now I have to go to a works do on Sat &amp; have to shop for a dress so that's 2 less days where I can see u. Can we go back to Fri please?_

He may not respond as he was with his best friend but she felt better for venting to somebody about the lack of time that she had for him this week. Now that was out of the way she really did have homework that she had to do as some was due tomorrow.

Zack smiled at the other man in his wife's life as he opened the door to him, "Good to see you again Paul. Diana is just upstairs changing Leila, she'll be back down in a minute so make yourself at home whilst I go and check on the food."

Making his way into the lounge Paul took a seat on the couch to wait for his best friend to grace him with her presence but as he waited his phone vibrated, he had already put it on silent so that he didn't wake the baby. Whilst he waited he looked down at his phone unable to stop himself from smiling when he saw Stephanie's name, after spending so much time with her he was actually missing her. His smile turned to a frown when he read her message though; he was disappointed to find out that there were at least two days where he wouldn't be able to see her. It wasn't that he wanted or expected to see her every day but they seemed to struggle to find time for each other so it was just a disappointment.

_It's okay, it can't be helped. We will find time to be together this week I promise. I don't know how or when but we will do it._

As he put his phone down he felt a presence behind him, as he turned around he noticed Diana stood in the doorway, "Are you coming in or standing there all day?"

"Who were you texting?"

"Why do you ask? You aren't normally nosey."

As she walked across the room she gave him a quick hug before she sat down, "I just wondered what, or who was causing you to smile. I think I know the answer to that though, how is Stephanie?"

Were his feelings really that obvious? If he was smiling at texts from her how was he reacting when he saw her in school?

His eyes had glazed over and she wasn't getting any sort of response from him so Diana moved seats to sit beside him on the couch and waved her hand in front of his face, "Anybody in there?"

"Yes? What were you saying?" He felt bad for spacing out on her when he was supposed to be here spending time with her.

You weren't best friends with somebody for a long time without learning a lot about them and with the knowledge that she had it was obvious she had overstepped the mark by mentioning Stephanie. "It doesn't matter."

"From that I will assume you were saying something else about Stephanie. Steph's fine, she's great, we're great . . ."

"But? Come on Paul, it is so obvious that something is bothering you about her. Is the age difference too much for you, or for her? Please don't tell me that you are thinking about giving up teaching for her."

A heavy sigh passed his lips, as much as he wanted the girl talk now it came down to it he was afraid of opening up to her because he didn't want her to say something that he didn't want to hear. "It isn't anything about Stephanie specifically that is bothering me; it is something about me that is bothering me."

Now he was just talking in riddles, how could she possibly decipher that gibberish? "I love you, you are my best friend and my brother but I do not have the first clue about what you are talking about so just explain yourself in English please."

"I love her and it is so hard to not let my feelings for her slip out. I spent all Friday night and all day yesterday with her because of some family problems and there were so many times where the words nearly just slipped out but I can't let it happen and I don't know how to stop myself."

Diana couldn't help but be taken aback by his admission, he loved her, she knew that he really liked her but she had no idea exactly how deeply his feelings for her ran. "You love her huh? Why would it be such a bad thing to tell her how you feel? She may feel the same as you do."

"I don't want to scare her off by saying it so early so I need advice on how to stop myself from saying it to her." His problems were simple; if he could just erase the feelings from his head for the time being then all would be okay.

"You can't stop yourself saying it Paul, if you feel it you feel it so you'd be better off just telling her and getting it over with before you send yourself to an early grave. So what were her family problems?"

Making a face she was entirely useless when it came to helping him out today, "Why can't you just make the feelings go away Dee? I can't lose her by saying the wrong thing. Her parents have pretty much been ignoring her in favour of their business and finally her Mom decided that she would spend Saturday with Stephanie and they would do something together. It lasted for one week before she cancelled it in favour of work and when Stephanie hit back at her for cancelling last minute on her her Mom got mad and told her that she has to go to some works do that they're having on Saturday night."

"I am never going to be that parent; I am always going to make time for Leila. I can see why Stephanie has gravitated to you though, you are older and you're kind of a parent type figure for her so it makes sense."

"Gee thanks." He didn't know if she meant it how it sounded but that was exactly why he couldn't tell her, "If you think about what you just said those are the exact reasons why I can't tell her that I love her. How can you tell somebody who you aren't entirely sure isn't viewing you as a parent figure that you love them like a lover?"

"By opening your mouth and saying 'I love you'."

Jumping at the voice behind him both of the people on the couch turned to face her husband in the doorway, "Thanks for scaring us half to death but what on earth do you mean?"

Zack took a seat in the chair that his wife had vacated before he entered the room. He had known Paul since high school, they were never best friends but they got on well so he was free to speak his mind, "You're welcome for the fright, consider it an early Halloween present. You say that you love Stephanie but don't want to tell her because you aren't exactly whether she views you as a lover or a parent right?"

"Correct. The last thing I want to do is put myself out there and to scare her away when she's only eighteen so she might not view me like that despite things between us."

"That is such an insult to her." The shock on his wife's face almost made him rethink his statement, only almost though, "So did you question whether Dee really loved me when we were high school sweethearts and she was only eighteen? Just because somebody is young it doesn't mean that they don't know what love is or that they see the other person as anything but a lover. Don't tell me that just because she has parent problems that she can possibly only see you like a Father either because that's just bullshit, you're just too scared to admit to her that you love her because you are afraid of losing her so you're finding any excuse not to tell her."

"You're so hot right now." Diana moved to sit by her husband and kissed his cheek, "Thank you for that."

As insulted as he should be by what Zack had said he couldn't be because he knew that he was speaking the truth, he was afraid of losing her by telling her how he really felt because for all he knew it could just be a fling for her and nothing serious. "So what if I am afraid of losing her, there is nothing wrong with being afraid."

"There isn't anything wrong with being afraid, the only time that there is something wrong is when you turn your fear and project it onto somebody else and make your fear about them. Fine, be afraid of losing her and don't tell her how you really feel, you could still lose her anyway because for all you know she could be waiting for you to say the words first as she is too afraid to say them to you as you are older and because you won't say them you lose her because she doesn't think that she means anything to you."

Being this deep into the conversation was giving Paul a headache, there were too many moving parts at play in their relationship and too many potential reactions to him telling her how he truly felt. It was all beginning to give him a headache so he changed the subject, "So where is my God-daughter at?"

"Napping, she has a small temperature so is sleeping right now but she'll be up again soon I'm sure. As you are bored of us telling you that you're crazy for hiding your feelings why don't you help me fold the laundry, there are a lot of Leila's clothes in it so you will be doing a God-fatherly duty."

Despite rolling his eyes and shaking his head he stood up, "Show me to the laundry." Maybe folding laundry would help take his mind off of what Zack had said because deep down he knew that he was right, he was projecting his fear on to her and he was just using her parents as an excuse. The truth was that he did love her and he would do anything so that he didn't lose her and that included lying to her about the depth of his feelings if he had to, he just wished that he could find out how she felt about him to know whether he actually needed to hide his feelings or not.


	44. Chapter 44

Thank you **Fallen Ark Angel** for the nudge to edit and post this chapter.

* * *

Stephanie had locked herself away in her room all day, she hadn't even left her room to get something to eat, she just worked straight through.

The knock at her door was unwelcomed, she tried not to snap though as she knew that snapping at whoever it was would just get her in even deeper trouble. "Hello?"

"Hello Princess." Vince was concerned about his daughter; he had listened as his wife had shouted at her and came down incredibly hard on her and despite him trying to convince her that she should lighten up on her she hadn't agreed. "I haven't seen you all day Stephanie and you haven't eaten either so you really need to come and eat something."

"No thanks, I still have homework to finish." She still had homework to do because she had spent a lot of the day daydreaming, mostly about Paul but about Kayleigh and being in Florida too, anything to get away from here.

Refusing to let his daughter continue to lock herself away in her room he walked over to the desk and pushed the laptop screen down closing it, "This isn't negotiable Stephanie, you need to eat, you probably haven't eaten all day so I want to make sure that you eat at least one meal today."

"I'm surprised you aren't working."

"I have been, I just know that eating is important too. Come on Steph, don't make me drag you out of here."

She wasn't going to get any work done or be able to text or talk to Paul with her Dad standing over her so standing up she pocketed her phone, "Fine. What have we got?"

"I am not the best cook in the world but I have managed to cook bacon and fries and not burn it although it may be getting cold now." He didn't leave the room until his daughter did as he didn't trust her not to let him leave the room and then shut the door on him.

Dinner was uncomfortable, unfortunately for Stephanie Linda ate with them also and she refused to talk to her Mom so didn't say anything at all through dinner. She had just put the final fry in her mouth when her phone began to ring so she pulled it from her pocket and smiled seeing Paul's name, "I've got to take this. Thanks for dinner Dad, I'll sort the dishes out once I'm done."

Bounding out of the room she waited until she was running up the stairs before she answered the phone, "Hey you."

"Heeey, I was beginning to think that you weren't going to answer."

"Never, never ever ever. I was just finishing dinner so had to excuse myself and get away from my parents. So how was your day?"

After spending an hour on the phone to her boyfriend she had returned to her homework and was actually a lot more focussed on it now.

Monday passed easily for Stephanie, her Mom left her some money to go shopping with but instead of going shopping that afternoon she spent time with Paul and it was perfect. Tuesday she was going to go to the gym and Wednesday she was going to go shopping before she spent Thursday and Friday with Paul and if she was lucky she would get to sneak out on Sunday to spend a couple of hours with him then too, or at least those were her plans for the week anyway.

Having struggled to sleep Paul had ended up at the gym early on Tuesday morning before he went to school because he didn't want a pattern to emerge of when Stephanie was at the gym he was there also as people would start connecting dots that they really didn't need connecting.

He finished off his dinner and got up to wash the dishes when his cell phone began to ring, sighing heavily he reached for his phone, "Yes?" The only response he got was sniffling so pulling the phone from his ear he looked at the screen to see the caller i.d. before he put it back to his ear, "Diana?"

"I'm scared Paul."

At this point of the day he was exhausted so now he was just confused. "What are you scared of Dee? Or is it who? I don't know what you're saying."

"Leila is in hospital and Zack is out of the state and can't get home until the morning. I'm scared Paul, what if something happens to her?"

The news of Leila being in hospital and Diana being alone and scared set his stomach in knots, all but dropping his plate in the sink he headed for the door, "What hospital are you at? I'll be there as soon as I can get there."

Thirty five minutes later and Paul arrived in the Emergency Room of the hospital, he was about to ask the Reception where to find Diana when she appeared through a door so he quickly rushed over to her. "Dee, how is she?"

"I don't know! They are doing more tests and they wanted me out. I'm scared Paul, what if it is bad?"

Pulling his best friend in to his arms he hugged her tightly, "She'll be okay, I promise. Let's go and sit down a minute and they will tell you when you can go back in."

"Will you stay for a while please?"

"I will stay with you all night." The last thing he wanted to do was leave her alone in the hospital with her baby daughter.

This was why he was her best friend, she could always rely on him through thick and thin. "What about school?"

"What about it? With enough coffee I can manage to get through the day. You and Leila are more important than school, if it comes to it I will just call in sick to be with you girls."

When he wrapped his arm around her shoulders she didn't hesitate to cuddle in to his side and hold on tightly.

As soon as the Doctor appeared she was out of her seat and rushing in front of him, "How is she? Will she be okay?"

"We believe that it is just an infection and we are going to start giving her antibiotics for it but due to how high her temperature is we want to keep her in at least overnight so that we can keep an eye on her until her temperature breaks so that we can make sure that the medicine is working."

"Can I see her?" She just needed to see her baby girl, being apart from her was killing her knowing that she was sick and she couldn't make her better.

The Doctor smiled politely at her recognising a stressed Mom when he saw one, "In a minute you can, we just want to set up the cannula ready for the antibiotics and get them ready to begin the second that she is settled as I don't want to frighten her."

If she wasn't so relieved that her daughter was going to be okay and that she could see her soon she would have completely freaked out about her daughter being poked with needles but for now she just needed to tell Paul the good news.

Whilst Diana was talking to the Doctor Paul took his phone from his pocket to text his girlfriend:

_I'm at the hospital with Diana and Leila, I'll probably be here all night as Zack is out of the state._

"How is she doing?" He did mean to let her sit down first but he was too anxious.

"She has an infection and they want to keep her in overnight or you know until her temperature breaks so it's going to be a long night for me."

"Well you won't be alone so we can get through this together." His phone buzzed in his hand and both of them saw his girlfriend's name on the screen.

"You still haven't told her how you felt have you?"

Was he that obvious? How could she possibly know that? Preferring not to ask the questions when he was already tired he just opened Stephanie's text message.

Looking at his best friend as she lay curled up in a chair to his right as they both sat beside the crib on the children's ward, they weren't initially going to let him stay as he wasn't the Father but after some gentle persuasion they had agreed. His hand came to cover his mouth as he stifled a yawn, it was currently somewhere after three in the morning and he hadn't slept in almost twenty four hours but he had insisted that Diana did sleep as she had this to deal with the next day also.

It was soon becoming clear that Leila was unsettled so he reached into the crib and allowed her to grip his finger in her tiny hand, he just wanted her to be happy and settled, or as happy as she could be with a raging temperature. With his other hand he stroked the top of her head, "It's okay baby girl, go to sleep and let these medicines do their job." Eventually the little girl fell asleep but he didn't take his eyes off her because he was afraid of losing her.

As the clock passed six in the morning he wanted to wake Diana up but she looked so peaceful he didn't have the heart so he continued to sit with Leila. By the time the clock reached 6:20 he had to leave so he pulled his finger free of the baby's grip and gently shook his best friend's shoulder, "Dee, wake up please."

Her eyes fluttered open as somebody shook her shoulder. "Paul?"

"Good morning Dee. It is really early but I need to get going as I have to go to work but first I need to go home and shower."

Rubbing at her eyes as she pushed herself to sit up in her seat and looked over at her daughter who seemed to be sleeping peacefully. "How is she doing?"

"She's fine, she eventually went to sleep but I'm sure she'll be up soon. Are you okay if I leave now?"

"I'll be fine, Zack will be here by mid-morning so I can survive." The fact that he had been there with her all night and clearly hadn't slept but was still going to work made her feel so guilty.

"Thank you." Standing up at the same time as her he pulled her close and hugged her, "I'm so glad that she seems to be doing okay. Keep me posted on how she is doing please and I'll try to come back after work if she's still in hospital."

"Don't. Paul you have been here all night and you haven't slept so wait until we go home and come and visit when we are home tomorrow or something okay?"

He was way too tired to argue with her so just nodded his head and got his jacket from the back of the chair and pulled it on. "Text me and keep me updated on how things are going please."

"Always, drive safely and take care of yourself."

As soon as Leila began to cry he made a hasty exit as he needed to get home to get to school, he was going to be cutting it fine as it was.

Stood outside the front of school talking to Belle and the girls her hand went to the necklace around her neck toying with the charm. She hadn't seen Paul's car anywhere and she was really worried about Leila but she didn't want to text him and bother him as she had sent a text or two earlier and hadn't had a response so his phone may not even be on.

"Are you okay Steph? You seem to be on another planet today."

"I'm fine, I just know somebody who is in hospital and I'm worried about them."

There was a collective gasp among the girls and they were all acting very sympathetic but sympathy wasn't going to tell her how the baby was doing.

Luckily before the girls asked her any questions Saraya was pointing across the parking lot, "Looks like Mr Levesque is late and he looks like hell."

Stephanie had tuned out of them though and was staring at her boyfriend, he really did look awful and she wanted to go and check on him. Quickly looking away before anybody noticed she started to walk towards the door barely remembering that she had been talking to them before she walked inside so just threw a quick comment over her shoulder at them, "We really should get to class."

Not waiting for them to catch up to her she carried on walking so that she could text him before a teacher ruined her chances. Sitting down at her desk she hid her phone beneath her desk to text him.

_You look like death, are you okay? Is Leila okay? _

Walking through the campus Paul heard his phone beep but he didn't have time to check it as he needed to make sure that he still had a job thanks to the fact that he was late. He was just about to turn the corner when he saw the Principal stood in front of him, "I'm so sorry that I'm late. I spent the night at the hospital with my Goddaughter and misjudged exactly how long it would take me to get home from the hospital and then here."

"It's fine, well not fine but you're here now and school hasn't started yet so there is no real harm done. How is your Goddaughter?"

"She'll be fine, they think. It is just an infection but she's only one month old and her fever wouldn't break so they kept her in and my best friend was alone as her husband was out of state and couldn't get home so I sat with her. I should go and set up for my first class but again I'm sorry."

"Don't worry. If there are any problems with your Goddaughter and you need to leave then you have my permission, just please make sure to let me know before you leave."

"I hope that won't be necessary but thank you." He quickly hurried past him as he was way behind as it was.

Throwing his bag onto his desk he pulled off his jacket and dropped it onto his chair, first things first he had to lock his phone away and then he needed to set up. When he removed his phone from his bag he remembered his text so looked at the screen and smiled seeing his girlfriend's name and it made him sad that she had plans for the afternoon but as he read her text he smiled at how sweet she was.

_Thanks for the compliment :P FYI I got no sleep last night &amp; forgot my lunch so my day is just getting better, I'll just go out later to get something. When I left Leila just woke, Dee is hoping to take her home today._

Once he had sent the text and made sure that Diana hadn't sent him a text he locked his phone safely away in his desk and went to set up for his first class.

Before Paul responded Stephanie had to put her phone away and she didn't have an opportunity to check it again until the end of her second period as she then had a free. Remaining in her seat whilst everybody else prepared to leave she looked at the text from her boyfriend and wasn't happy, he hadn't slept and probably hadn't eaten all that much so she was going to rectify that now.

As she stood up she dropped her phone back in to her bag and quickly made her way towards the exit but stopped when her name was called, "Yes Belle?"

"We wondered if you wanted to do something with us now?"

"I can't, I have an errand to run. I'll catch you after lunch probably." She didn't wait for any questions and just hurried for the door.

With three classes back to back, no sleep and no time for more than the one coffee that he had practically inhaled at home he was struggling to keep focussed and his eyes open, so with ten minutes of the class left he dismissed them all early and guaranteed his status as their favourite teacher. He left them to get changed and went into his office and shut the door before he collapsed into his seat and closed his eyes.

Stephanie returned to school with a bag full of goodies and a large coffee for Paul hoping that he would appreciate this. As she didn't want to be caught by the girls so they asked awkward questions when she climbed out of her car with coffee in hand she walked the long way around the school to get to the gym.

On approach to the gym she noticed people leaving so stood to the side discreetly watching and waiting for everybody to leave. Once a couple of minutes had passed since the last person had left she entered the gym and went and knocked on his office door.

The knock at the door interrupted his peace and quiet, why could he not get five minutes of peace and quiet? "Come in."

She could tell by his voice exactly how tired he was and when she opened the door she saw him looking more exhausted than she had ever seen. Carefully shutting the door behind her she smiled shyly at him, "Hi."

"Hey you. This is a pleasant surprise." He had to admit that she could interrupt his peace and quiet any time she wanted.

The look on his face made her blush, he looked so happy to see her. Making her way over to the desk she placed the coffee down in front of him, "One Venti coffee from Starbucks, it should be how you like your coffee." She removed her bag from her shoulder and placed it on the desk opening it and began to remove things, "I have a ham roll and a salad roll which you can choose from, or have both if you so wish, I also bought a couple of bananas as they're meant to be good for you or something and as I passed a gym and incase you can't eat the rolls for some reason I picked up a couple of protein bars for you."

"You are amazing." Looking between all of the food on his desk he couldn't believe exactly how lucky he was to have a girlfriend that went out of her way to do this for him, "You really didn't have to do this."

She was sure that her face was red as she felt her cheeks heat up with the blush, "I know that I didn't have to do it but I wanted to do it for you, somebody has to take care of you."

"What can I do to say thank you for all of this?"

"I can think of something."

The playful glint in her eye made him laugh, "Oh? Do share."

Before she moved she looked back at the door to make sure that it was closed at which point she walked around the desk until she was close to him and then leant down and kissed him softly, "A little something like that would be perfectly fine as a thank you."

He knew that his door wasn't locked but hopefully nobody would just walk in without knocking so he grabbed her hips and pulled her closer, "Take a seat because I don't have the energy to stand up."

She allowed him to guide her until she was sat on his lap, "Better?"

"Yes." Curling his hand behind her neck he pulled her face closer and kissed her deeply and passionately to say thank you.

Her one hand moved to the side of his face whilst the other gripped his shoulder returning the kiss with equal passion moaning in to his mouth and just relaxing her entire body in to his.

The two didn't separate until they couldn't breathe and needed the oxygen.

"Wow, that was some thank you. I should do this more often."

He definitely wouldn't complain at her taking care of him when he was exhausted but he felt bad that she had done that, "Seriously though Steph thank you, you really didn't have to do this."

"I know, I wanted to though so no complaining. What roll would you like?"

"Are you staying?" There was enough food here for two so hopefully she would keep him company for a while.

"If you want me to I will, I don't want to intrude if you want to nap though."

Sliding his arm around her waist he pulled her closer on his lap, "You're staying." With his free hand he picked up the roll he didn't want and passed it to her before he began to unwrap the one he did want.

She unwrapped her roll taking small glances at him, she was so happy right now and nothing could ruin her mood today, not even her Mom with her texts asking if she had picked out a dress yet.


	45. Chapter 45

When she had first moved here she had gone shopping with Belle for clothes but she really didn't feel close enough to any of the girls to want to discuss her life with them so went shopping by herself, it may be a miserable experience but at least she wouldn't have to dodge any awkward questions.

She knew that she had a kind of formal event to attend to on Saturday so her first stop was an actual dress shop but she didn't see anything that she liked there, or in the second shop or the third shop. By the time she reached the fourth shop she was losing the will to shop.

The second she walked through the door she immediately wished that she had skipped this shop as she saw a sales assistant heading straight for her, "Can I help you?"

"I don't know. I was kind of just going to look around by myself to see if I could find any dresses that took my fancy." She hoped that she took the hint and left her alone.

"What kind of dress are you looking for? I do personal shopping, or am learning how to do it anyway so I can at least point you in the right direction."

Being pointed in the right direction wouldn't be too bad because it might actually save her wasting more time, "I have a formal event to attend on the weekend so I am looking for a dress for the occasion."

"Oh my God, the most perfect dress for you just came in today. If you don't mind me showing it to you I will grab it from the back and you can look at it."

"I guess I can look at it."

"Okay great. The rest of the formal dresses can be found on the side wall running up the right hand side of the store and there are some at the back in the corner also. I will be back in a minute."

She watched her race off to the back of the store obviously to go to the storeroom before she went to begin her search, she wasn't hopeful but at least her Mom couldn't say that she didn't look.

A few minutes in to her search and the assistant was back in front of her holding up the dress, "So what do you think?"

Staring at the dress she was struck by her beauty, "It is stunning. Can I try it on please? Actually, how much does it cost?"

"$350. Is that out of your price range?"

Fuck it, if her Mom was going to be like that she was going to spend as much money as she wanted, "If it is the perfect dress there is no price range. It doesn't look like it can only be worn for formal occasions so it can be a multi-purpose dress and I can get my money out of it."

The sales assistant laughed and handed over the dress, "Well I hope that you like it but if you don't it doesn't matter. Let me know if you need anything else."

With one dress over her arm she kept looking to see if she could find anything else she liked and eventually found one more to try on. One of these would hopefully be the dress that she was looking for because it was getting late and the stores would be closing soon.

Paul returned from work and collapsed on the couch; he could barely move or keep his head up now so he would definitely be having an early night. Part of him wanted to nap but a bigger part of him thought that taking a nap would cause more problems that it solved so eventually he pushed himself up from the couch and went to do some cleaning.

She had tried on the first dress that the sales assistant had brought and she loved it but she was afraid that it was too sexy for her parent's works do but the second dress that she had picked was nice but she wasn't sure. Normally she would text her best friend and ask her opinion but she wasn't in the mood for twenty questions or reliving the disaster that was the last weekend but maybe Paul would give her an opinion?

Stood in front of the mirror she took a picture of herself in the dress that she wasn't sure about and sent it to her boyfriend with a short message:

_I have seen this dress but I don't know about it. There is one other potential dress though._

He had put on a load of laundry and vacuumed the downstairs of the house but now he was done with being able to do any more chores so he headed upstairs to shower. As he walked up the stairs his phone beeped and as he was waiting to hear from Diana he ran back downstairs to check it. Instead of it being his best friend it was his girlfriend sending him a gorgeous picture.

_Well I am a fan of that dress, I think you look stunning. Why don't you show me the other one and we will judge which one fits the occasion better._

Whilst he waited for her to reply he headed back to go upstairs as he still wanted to shower.

The wait to see what he was going to say was agonising, she just wanted to know if he liked the dress or not. His reply made her smile; she should have known that he would want to see the other dress. Slipping out of her current dress she changed in to the other one before she took a picture to send to him:

_And then there is this one. Which do you think is better for Saturday?_

Once she had sent the text she changed out of the dress and in to her normal clothes and put the dresses neatly back on the hangers whilst she waited.

He was waiting for her to text back so he was sat on the edge of the bed rather than jumping in the shower. When her text did come in and he opened it he whistled lowly, "Damn that girl is hot."

_You're definitely not wearing that on Saturday, not unless you want me to sneak in so I can beat up all of the men who inevitably hit on you. I do think you look hot in that dress &amp; wish you could get it._

Dropping his phone to his bed once he had sent the text he went to jump in the shower so then he could make dinner and fall in to bed.

Once she received Paul's text she made up her mind and took both dresses to the cash register and placed them on the counter, "I'd like both of these please?"

The sales assistant who had initially helped her stood up, "You like the dress?"

"I love it. It isn't right for my formal event at the weekend but it is perfect for a date night with my boyfriend, I think he will like it a lot too."

The one sales assistant was about to ring up the items on her account but switched registers, "I'll give you the sales Nina, it sounds like you earned it." A moment later and she had a total, "That will be $725. How would you like to pay?"

There was a chance that had Mom would hit the roof at the price and she didn't card, "Card please." Taking the card from her purse she handed it over to complete the transaction.

When they completed the transaction they bagged her dresses and passed them to her she politely said goodbye before she made her way out to her car. Her purse was thrown on to the passenger seat and the dresses soon joined them but were less thrown and more placed as she climbed in to the car.

A quick glance at the clock told her that her parents probably wouldn't be home for a while yet and as she wasn't in a hurry to go home she thought about dropping by her boyfriend's place first. When she saw him at school he was exhausted so maybe that wouldn't be the best idea so she should text him first. She had to reach across the car to get to her purse but she managed to reach it and removed her phone to do just that.

_I bought both dresses. I thought that maybe one weekend we could go to New York &amp; I can wear it for you then._

He showered before he made his way back to his bedroom and began to go through the drawers looking for something to wear. As soon as he actually found some clothes he threw them on to the bed and went to take a seat, not even having the energy to stand up was frustrating. Before he got dressed he picked up his phone to see if Stephanie had replied at all so he was pleased to see that she had.

The thought of going to New York for the weekend and actually having a proper date night was incredibly appealing, he would like for them to go out together.

_I like the sound of that a lot, especially the part about you wearing that dress._

She should focus and start the drive home because he seemed to be taking a while to reply so had probably fallen asleep but just as she was about to start the engine he replied.

_What if I said that I would only pack that dress in my bag and nothing else? If you catch my drift._

It was only when she had sent the message that she realised what she had actually said, why had she tortured them both like that? Oh yeah, because she missed him.

Paul found himself staring at his phone waiting for her response; he hoped that he hadn't come on too strong even if she had started the conversation. When her text came in and he read it he groaned and felt an oh so familiar stirring in his groin, "Thanks for that mental image Steph."

_Don't tease me with those mental images Steph, not unless you plan to come over here so I can take my sexual frustration out on you :-P_

Crossing his fingers as he sent the text he sure did hope that she didn't take that the wrong way but he couldn't help but be playful with her even though she wasn't so experienced in relationships.

The second that she received his text she immediately had all sorts of ideas bouncing around her head and eagerly began to type:

_You don't like the idea of me going commando just for you so when we are sat at dinner you can "accidentally" drop your cutlery &amp; I can spread my legs so you can get a real show? What about the idea of sitting in the back row of a dark cinema &amp; after a hot &amp; steamy make out session I pull your hand on to the inside of my thigh begging you to slide your hand beneath my skirt so that I can feel your thick fingers deep in my pussy?_

Before she put a second thought in to the text she pressed send, she was sick of feeling like an inexperienced child compared to him so if he was going to mention his sexual frustration she would turn up the heat, but now she really did want to go over and to have him take out his sexual frustration on her.

When he saw her typing back immediately and then didn't get a response for a while he was nervous when the response actually did come in. Blindly opening the text his eyes were closed and he only opened them to slits to see what it said gasping at the actual content of it, "And here I was afraid of pushing it too far."

He collapsed back on the bed and threw his arm over his eyes, he now needed to get those mental images out of his head before he became painfully hard and said something he would regret.

She didn't wait for an invite, she decided to just swing by and surprise him with a little visit and they saw what happened so when she didn't get a response from him on her way to his house she didn't think a whole lot of it. Pulling up outside his house she left her bag in the car but grabbed her purse to take in with her so that it didn't get stolen. Quietly opening his front door she hung her purse over the end of the banister and went off to see if she could find him.

Her search was fruitless until she went upstairs to his bedroom and there she found him lying on his bed, this was becoming a pattern when she surprised him and went looking for him that he was in his room so she would have to start here from now on. Stood in the doorway staring him as he lay there she couldn't help but smile and blush at the way he was laying there and she could see his excitement and his hard abs and she just wanted to touch him.

The lack of movement made her wonder if he was even awake, moving closer she slowly undid his towel and there was no movement so she decided to just give him the wake up of all wake up calls. Slowly taking the head of his cock in to her mouth she sucked on it gently before she lowered her head taking more of his cock in to her mouth.

He didn't mean to fall asleep but his eyes were really heavy and he had been up for over thirty eight hours so when his arm blocked out some light from his eyes he just fell asleep. It wasn't the best nap that he had ever had as he was dreaming of doing to Stephanie exactly what had been in her text and then he was dreaming that she was giving him a blow job in the back of the cinema.

Waking up with a start he desperately clutched at her hair as his cock was painfully hard and he was so close to orgasm, he began bucking his hips up in to drive his cock deeper in to the hot mouth that surrounded it until he moaned her name as he came.

She had no problem swallowing all of his cum as he came; she was hoping that now he was awake and would maybe take care of her.

As she removed her mouth from around him he pulled her up closer to him by the hair eventually fusing their lips together in a brief kiss before he pulled her away a little as he had something to say, "I love you."

The way that he pulled her up for a kiss made her smile as he always made her feel special. When he pulled back after only a brief kiss she was going to collapse beside him whilst he finished waking up but she was stunned when the words came out of his mouth, surely he didn't mean that. "Yeah yeah yeah, I know I am the best girlfriend for doing that for you."

"No Steph I love you, I really love you."

She couldn't do this, she couldn't stay here. Pulling his hand out of her hair where he still held on to her tightly she got off the bed and slowly backed away towards the door not saying a word. When she reached the door and he hadn't moved her brain went in to overdrive and she just turned around and ran down the stairs making her way out of the house as fast as she possibly could.

After a couple of minutes Paul found himself getting cold so he sat up to get dressed. Rubbing at his tired eyes before he reached for the clothes beside him he pulled them closer and then stood up to take the towel off and put the clothes on but as he turned around he saw the towel still on the bed. What had just happened? He knew that his dream was life like but it was just that, a dream . . . right? If it was real then surely she would still be there and as she wasn't it couldn't be real could it?

His head was beginning to throb with all of the questions running around in it now so getting dressed he made his way downstairs with his cell phone in hand to make dinner and then maybe whilst it was cooking or when he had eaten he would find out from his girlfriend if it had really happened or if he had dreamt it.


End file.
